Apart At The Seams
by TheRangress
Summary: Two worlds, the same space/time coordinates, different dimensions... well, they're supposed to be different dimensions. Al and Winry find themselves in an inexplicable desert, Roy and Riza meet a madman who calls himself the Doctor, and Ed's train crashes. On top of that, two irreconcilable dimensions are merging... Rating for some darkness and swearing. Royai, eventual pairings.
1. Chapter 1

_Chapter One_

_A Train In The Counryside_

_June 25, 1916_

Whatever the opposite of homesick was, Edward Elric was definitely it.

Restless. That was it— he was restless. He stared out the window of the train, tapping his hand against the armrest. He still had a bruise on his head from where Winry had smacked it with a wrench when he'd said he was going to Xing early.

It had been nearly a year of Risembool, and he was feeling restless as hell. There was only so long he could be happy with nobody trying to kill him. Risembool had nothing for him to do— and memories. So many memories.

And Winry... he wasn't ready to admit that maybe Al was right about him and Winry. Ha, of course he wasn't! Him? And Winry? Of course he didn't— she wasn't— hydrogen helium oh _hell_.

Ametris jostled by, and he scowled at it. A man walked in and he scowled at him too. He glared right back

Wait, was it a girl? It might have been— on second glance, he thought it was, but he wasn't sure. Argh. The figure, male or female, had a prominent nose, definitely broken a few times. The height made him think guy, but the eyes— blue— made him lean toward girl again. The figure stood there glaring as if whoever it was, they were friends. There were no hints to the gender of the figure in the hair (scruffy, black, shoulder-length) or clothes (wrinkled white dress shirt, black pants, black boots). He quickly eyed the figure's chest and got no clues but a raised eyebrow— probably a female.

"What are you doing here?"

"Trying to find my luggage." Gruff, but female. She leaned against the car wall, putting her left hand on her hip. "And I'm a girl, by the way."

"What makes you think—!"

"Seriously, you were looking at my chest." He sat there glaring, arms crossed. She smirked. "Anyway, have you seen a brown shoulder bag?"

"No."

"Shit."

She turned on her heel and left. Ed breathed a sigh of relief. If there was anything he didn't need, it was another confusing girl.

* * *

_Risembool_

_(Keir, Lytia)_

Al laughed as he ran along the dirt road.

"I beat you again!"

"You did!" Winry laughed as he let her catch up.

"Are you letting me win?" Al was wide-eyed and concerned.

"Of course I'm not!"

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Good."

"I think it's nearly time to go home..."

"Aww, already?"

"It's nearly time for— Al, is that a _desert_?"

Al looked. It was, in fact, a desert.

"That— what? Deserts just don't randomly show up like that!"

"I know that!"

The pair walked over to investigate the mysteriously there desert— there was grass, and then there was sand, with no overlap between the two.

The desert appeared to be surrounding a city, one that looked quite old. They could make out the distant figures of white pyramids, and turned to find a distinct lack of Risembool.

"Towns don't just suddenly vanish like that!" Al said.

"No kidding they don't." Winry warily turned and discovered a previously unnoticed girl.

She was short and pretty, with golden-brown skin and dark curly hair. Her dress was blue, and looked both antique and exotic. She appeared to be rather shocked by Winry.

"Oh, hello! Could you tell us where we are?" Winry asked. The girl stammered out something that sounded Ishvalan.

"Of course she doesn't speak Ametrisian..." Al sighed.

"This is bad."

"Very bad."

They sighed. So did the girl. This was not going to be fun.

* * *

_Central_

Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye were discreet. The fact they hadn't been court-martialed for fraternization proved that.

Sometimes, however, they just needed to fraternize. Passionately.

They'd arranged to meet in an alley behind a cheap restaurant. The smell was rather nauseating, but they were alone.

Roy leaned against the wall and smiled as Riza walked into sight.

"I like the dress."

"I'm sure you wish it was shorter."

"I wouldn't object."

He had her in his arms and was leaning in for a kiss when there was a sound like a dying metal cat. They were instantly at a professional distance, Riza ready to pull a gun.

A large blue box appeared opposite them, and a man with a dorky grin poked out.

"Oh, hello there! Who are you?"

"General Roy Mustang."

"Major Riza Hawkeye."

"Oh, military? I'm the Doctor."

"Doctor who?" asked Riza.

"Just the Doctor." He grinned and stepped out. "So, where are we?"

"Central..."

"Planet?"

"Earth?"

"Oh, I see. I was trying for Taere. They've got a diamond moon. What year is it?"

Roy and Riza exchanged a look. Really.

"1916," Roy volunteered.

"Oh, really?" He looked at Riza as if he didn't quite believe it.

"So... That box." "The TARDIS!" The Doctor affectionately patted the TARDIS.

"I see," said Riza, trying to figure out how exactly it had materialized out of thin air.

"Never takes me where I want. But I love her anyway." He leaned against the TARDIS. "So... Anything strange happen lately? String of disappearances or appearances or... I don't know, rains of fish?" "Just the TARDIS..." said Riza.

"Besides that."

Roy and Riza exchanged looks. All they'd wanted was some passionate fraternizing, and now there was a madman with a box to deal with.


	2. Chapter 2

_A Train In The Countryside_

_Evening_

Edward Elric woke from a nightmare to a very loud screech, and then the tree smashed through his window.

He jumped away with loud profanities. The car tilted and flung him to the floor. He could hear cursing and crying children from neighboring cars.

He barely held himself from punching through the window. Idiot. He kicked the glass out instead, sending a shard across his face. He swore at the pain and leapt out, tumbling to the ground.

He lifted his head, and the train wobbled and tilted. Red-gold sunset light shone on the twisted and collapsing train.

"I want mommy!"

He turned to see a young boy and the confusing girl from earlier. She gave him a tired smirk and knelt in front of the boy.

"I'll go try to find her, OK? You stay with this guy."

"Hey, I never—" Ed objected. The girl waved him aside.

"Watch the kid." With that, she climbed into a mostly-upright car.

"I hate that girl," he muttered. With a sigh, he set to attempting to comfort the boy.

The sun was down as the survivors grouped up to count the dead. The confusing girl held the boy, who'd fallen asleep crying over his mother's corpse. Ed felt bitter and empty. It was just... so wrong.

These things were supposed to stop happening. This was his punishment for not being happy in Risembool. Life. It'd always be hell, and it'd always be other people paying for it. That other little boy without a mother.

* * *

Quietly, he wandered off to take out all his hatred on trees. To tear them apart, to bloody his knuckles and scrape the skin off his palms, to curse everything— his life, his damn life he'd screwed up so royally! To slam his shoulder into a tree and skid down, hearing himself faintly sob...

Why was this his breaking point? He was supposed to be stronger. He was supposed to be able to handle anything. After all he'd been through, a _train crash_? Just a train crash?

A year ago, this would have just been another day. A bad one, yes, but just another day. And now... Weak. He was Edward Elric, and he was supposed to be strong enough for anything. _Anything._

So what if he hurt? So what if he was tired? Suck it up and help people. Fix it. Move on.

He hurt. He was tired. He sucked it up and walked away, wiping the blood from his hands on his brown jacket.

* * *

A silhouetted figure awkwardly dug. He could hear muffled curses, and as he got closer he realized it was the confusing girl. Her upper right arm was pressed against her side, which wasn't helping her dig. Behind her were the bodies— she was digging graves.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

"You're digging wrong."

She sighed and put the shovel down. Her right arm extended as far as it could go— about an inch, and he could see she was in pain just moving it that far.

"I'm a cripple. I got shot."

So he picked up the shovel and started digging. His raw hands left blood on the handle. He didn't care, and she saw but said nothing. At least this was something to do. Even if it didn't help anyone, it was easy and mindless.

The confusing girl sat down and rubbed her shoulder. It seemed almost mocking for it to be her right arm. He stared at his own. It wasn't quite as muscled as his left, but it was getting there.

"Have you considered automail?"

"Didn't want to be out of commission that long."

"I know a girl who only took six months."

The confusing girl smirked at him. "Well then, if I do it, it'll take me five."

"Think this is big enough?"

"Yeah."

She dragged a mangled body into the grave and started pushing dirt over it. There was a businesslike manner to her, like it was a flowerbed. Ed started on another grave.

"Kestrel," she said, patting down the dirt into an even mound, "Kestrel Archer."

"Edward Elric."

"Nice to meet you. Wish it were under better circumstances." Huh. Not a "Oh, the Fullmetal Alchemist?" from her.

"Yeah."

"It's getting pretty late..."

"Not tired."

"Me neither."

A thought occurred to Ed. "Where did this shovel come from?"

"Coal shovel."

"Shit for digging."

"Yep."

Of course, if he'd still had alchemy...

"You any good at alchemy?"

"If I was, would I be using a shovel?"

"I could draw the circles..."

"I have... sweaty hands."

It was a lie. An obvious lie. There was mild panic in her eyes. Why would she be...

"...You did human transmutation!?"

"What?"

"You— what?"

"You what!"

"You first!"

"Me what!?"

"Tell me what!"

"What what!?"

"You know what!"

"What are we talking about!?" She grabbed his shirt. He slapped her. She punched him. Pulling, kneeing, and wrestling followed until they fell into the grave.

There were a few seconds of silence as they realized where they were and that he was on top of her.

"Ow," she said.

"We're in a grave! That's just wrong!"

"And painful... Get off me, would ya?"

He awkwardly stood up and climbed out of the shallow grave. She winced and climbed out after him.

"I'm sorry..."

"My entire back hurts!"

"I'm sorry!"

"Well, we'd better finish this—" She yawned. "—job."

"If you want to sleep, you can..."

"I don't want to."

"Fine."

* * *

When the sun rose, it shone pink on rows of graves and the sleeping figures of Ed and Kestrel as they leaned against each other.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter Three_

_Keir, Lytia_

_June 25, 1309_

It had taken a long time, but through much effort on the part of everyone, Al and Winry had managed to get across that they were lost.

They had also gotten across their names and to Aravis' (that was the girl's name, Aravis) house.

There was a cat. A fat, fluffy gray cat.

"Aww, he's so cute!" Al said. He picked the cat up to pet him.

"Al, that isn't your cat..."

Aravis smiled. "Flamel."

"Flamel?" She pointed to the cat. "Flamel." She added a word Al assumed meant 'cat'. He repeated and she verified.

"Cat," he said.

"Caht?"

"Cat."

"Caht."

"Flamel? Isn't that some alchemy thing?" asked Winry.

"Yeah... Maybe she's an alchemist!"

"Nama!" Aravis grinned enthusiastically. "Alchemiae!"

"That's Xerxian for alchemy!" Al was ecstatic at this lingual breakthrough.

"Do you speak Xerxian?" Winry hoped he did.

"Only a little... But it's a start!" Al tried to think of any Xerxian he knew that would help. "Um... Incognita phaenomenon causa..." He gestured to himself and Winry, then in general. Aravis slowly nodded.

"Temeritas?" It took him a moment— oh, she was asking if it had been an alchemical accident.

"Non, e nihilo."

"Intelligitur." Aravis nodded.

"You're doing good," said Winry encouragingly.

"Yeah, but I'm nearly out of Xerxian." Al sighed. Aravis' Xerxian seemed much better than his. He scratched Flamel behind the ears.

"Cibus?" she asked. Al tried to place the word.

"Non intelligunt." He shrugged.

Aravis left and returned with fruit. She said something, and from her tone Al and Winry knew exactly what she meant— "This isn't going to be easy".

* * *

_Central, Ametris_

The Doctor was back in his mysterious box.

With a smile, Roy put one arm around Riza's shoulders and one around her waist.

"Do you have a death wish, sir?" She smiled back and leaned in.

"Hmm," said the Doctor. They jumped to a extremely suspicious professional distance.

The Doctor blinked.

"Am I interrupting something?" "No," Riza said evenly.

"Ah, all right then. Anyway! It turns out that this Earth occupies the same space/time coordinates as Taere, but! This isn't the dimension I started out in!"

"I see," said Riza.

"No, actually, you don't. Oh, here's the strange part— our dimensions? They're collapsing in on each other. Think—OK, so dimensions are like blankets, and there are holes in the blanket, only it's nothing like that."

Roy groaned and Riza gave him a Look.

"Is this dangerous?"

"Oh yes."

"I'm going to go drown myself," Roy announced.

"You're being melodramatic, sir."

"Am I?"

"Yes." Roy sighed dejectedly, and Riza resignedly. The Doctor grinned.

"Now, this dimensional stuff is all... dimensional... and temporal... Anyway, the cause of it could be anywhere or any_when_, and the damage will be unchronological. Your parents could disappear from existance and leave you, and that would _not be good_."

"And you're telling us this why?" asked Roy.

"So you can help!"

"And how are we supposed to do this?"

"Oh, I'm sure you're both quite useful! Come on, let's see the TARDIS. Allons-y!"

With a shrug, they followed him. The Doctor leaned against the center TARDIS console with a mischievous grin.

"So, what do you think?"

"What the _hell_," said Roy.

"It's... interesting," said Riza.

"Oh, come on, you can say it. Everyone does."

She paused. "How does that even work?"

"Well, I wasn't expecting _that_. Anyway..." The Doctor launched off into a long analogy, then all the differences between the analogy and reality. "So... nothing like it at all, really."

"Can I go drown myself _now_?"

"No."

* * *

_Keir, Lytia_

_June 26_

Avatre, who was presumably Aravis' sister, had arrived back home late. She was taller than Aravis, with short and straight hair, a long nose, and a bouncy nature.

Winry had borrowed a red dress from Avatre. It fit decently, if a bit long. Aravis had brought out some clothes for Al, belonging (as near as he could gather) to her absent brother.

He'd read some of her alchemical papers. Aravis' alchemy seemed a lot different, without _transmutation circles_. From what he could understand, though, she was _brilliant_.

It also helped with the language barrier. By lunchtime, they could have a trilingual conversation with the help of charades. To celebrate, she took him for a walk.

Despite the lingual barrier, Al liked Aravis. She seemed nice. The way she smiled, the tone she used talking to her cat... Sometimes she'd say things she knew he wouldn't understand, but from her tone, he could tell "I wish I could understand you" from "How in the world did you get here?" or "These words are so hard to pronounce!" Sometimes he'd laugh at something she said in Lytian, and she'd smile at him.

They walked through the city. Al looked around, wondering at all the people and animals and food. It was amazing. Aravis named everything, and Al gave every Ametrisian word he could.

He immediately ran over to a tan horselike animal. It had a large hump on its back and a long face.

"Aww, it's so cute!" he said, reaching his hand out to pet it. Aravis pulled him back, just in time for it to _not _spit in his face.

"Shehkirra mecah, Aravis."

"Yahr welcalm," she said with a smile.

They continued their walk.


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter Four_

_An Impromptu Graveyard_

_June 26, 1916_

Ed woke up to Kestrel hugging him.

Once she realized he was awake, she jumped back awkwardly and brushed her hair out of her face.

"You were having a nightmare," she explained, avoiding eye contact.

Just like always. He could still remember the bloody armor, Winry lying there, and Mom... He didn't want to think about it.

"Yeah," he muttered, staring at the ground.

"It'll be a few days before they find us. We should try to find food." Eye contact was thoroughly avoided. Ed tried to escape nightmarish thoughts and found himself trying to figure out Kestrel. There was _something _up with her and alchemy. His first suspicion was that she didn't have a Gate either, but she didn't seem to know what Human Transmutation had to do with it. He clearly recalled thinking he _didn't _need another confusing girl in his life.

The world couldn't just leave well enough alone, could it?

Kestrel started laughing.

The pair of them were looking through the wreckage of the train. Ed had been thinking about his inadequacies until her laughter distracted him.

"What are you laughing about!?" She was laughing too hard to speak, but pulled a brown shoulder bag from the carnage. Her luggage.

"It's— so horrible—" She bent over laughing. He was surprised by how giggly her laugh was. Did all girls giggle or something?

Once she'd gotten down to the occasional muffled giggle, she opened the bag. Out went books, a shirt— underwear, right into Ed's lap. He blushed and threw it at her.

"Do I have underwear on my head?" she asked calmly.

"Well— yes." She snorted and put it back in the bag. "I found it."

"Found what?"

"Food." She pulled out an apple and a knife. "Not much, but—"

"Breakfast!" Ed stole the apple.

"Eat it and I stab you," she said flatly. He considered the risks. "You'll get half..." With this promise balanced against her threat, he handed the apple back. She cut it into fairly even halves. Ed immediately grabbed his, while Kestrel took the time to eat it slice by slice.

In the end, half an apple wasn't an overly satisfying breakfast, but it was better than nothing.

* * *

_Central_

Roy Mustang was getting sick and tired of being discreet.

Really, it didn't seem like the dumbass was going to care. But Riza cared that he was there, so no fraternization. Not even holding hands.

"Aha! A mysterious disappearance!" The Doctor walked into his office with a newspaper.

"I see."

"In Risembool."

"Risembool?" He groaned. "Please tell me it wasn't Edward Elric..."

"No."

"Good."

"Alphonse Elric. And Winry Rockbell!"

Roy pounded his head into his undone paperwork.

"You know them, then?"

"Elrics. They'll be the death of me someday..."

"Ah, so you do know them."

"At least it wasn't Fullmetal... but still, why? Why Elrics?"

"I'll leave you alone, then..."

The Doctor turned, raised his eyebrows, and went to inform Riza Hawkeye of this development.

"You asked about—"

"Way ahead of you." He glanced back toward Roy. "What is it with him and Elrics, by the way?"

"A long story."

"Oh, I've got all the time in the world."

"Edward Elric was... you could call him General Mustang's subordinate. They didn't get along."

"I wouldn't call that long..."

"I omitted details for the sake of clarity."

"I see. And Alphonse Elric?"

"His little brother. Nice kid."

"I see... Winry Rockbell?"

"Edward's mechanic."

"Mechanic?"

Riza paused. "He has a mechanical leg."

"Oh, interesting!" "I... wouldn't say that to his face."

"Right. No calling his leg interesting to his face."

"Shall I get train tickets, or can you handle that yourself?"

"We'll take the TARDIS. Allons-y!"

She went to get Roy. He was pressing his forehead against his paperwork.

"General?"

He looked up. "Why me, Riza?"

"You're being melodramatic again." She kissed him, and then they allons-ied.

* * *

_Keir, Lytia_

_Evening_

"I'm hot..." Winry complained. She was lying on the floor while Al read one of Aravis' papers. It was on chimeras. Lytian alchemy didn't seem to have chimeras yet, and Aravis was developing her chimeras with plants. It seemed exceptionally intelligent, but Al was distracted by memories. He'd have to warn her. Aravis seemed like a sweet girl. She'd be miserable if anyone misused her research...

Aravis walked in. She handed Winry a fan (which she frantically fanned herself with) and knelt down to see what Al was reading. Once she saw, there was a sharp inhalation. She tore the paper from Al's hands and tore it up angrily.

She took a deep breath. He blinked at her. Slowly, she knelt down, paused, and gave a strangled sob. Al slowly held her, and she buried her face into his shoulder. She whispered in Lytian, things he wasn't supposed to understand. He held her closer as he realized what she was saying. He wished he didn't. She hadn't meant to tell him.

But he knew, and he held her. Because Aravis was a chimera.


	5. Chapter 5

_**(A/N: Guys, thanks for reading this and liking it and all that jazz! Really, I smile whenever I see that somebody's enjoying this. Now, the reason I'm writing this: I admit it. I haven't described much. I'm trying to add description to this chapter, so thank you!)**_

_Chapter Five_

_Risembool_

_June 25, 1916_

The Doctor, the general, and the major were just out of sight.

Al laughed as he ran along the dirt road. The boy was gangly, having shot up like a weed in the last year.

"I beat you again!"

"You did!" Winry laughed as he let her catch up. Her hair was pulled back in a bandanna.

"Are you letting me win?" Al adjusted his green jacket.

"Of course I'm not!"

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Good."

"I think it's nearly time to go home..."

"Aww, already?"

"It's nearly time for— Al, is that a _desert_?"

The Doctor pulled on cardboard glasses, one lens red and the other blue. "Ooh!" While he was distracted staring at the inexplicable desert, Roy slowly extended one hand toward Riza. She gave him a look. He pointed to the distracted Doctor. She let him.

"Here, you look," the Doctor said, removing the glasses and offering them to the Ametrisians. Riza took them coolly.

"And what is it I'm supposed to look for?"

"Look there, where the desert used to be!"

She did. "Well. That's certainly interesting."

"What is it?" Roy asked. She handed him the glasses, their hands touching for slightly longer than was quite professional. He looked at the certainly interesting space.

"Interesting," he agreed.

"Dimensional detrius!" the Doctor exclaimed, "Now, let's go follow them. If we do enough investigating, we're bound to find the answer!"

"Allons-y?" Roy asked, eyebrow raised.

"Allons-y!" the Doctor verified with a grin.

* * *

_The Middle Of Nowhere_

_June 26, 1916_

Ed was sitting on a rock in the middle of a field, beginning to seriously consider eating his shoes, when he heard crying.

Being a nice guy, he went to investigate. It seemed to be coming from the other side of a tree.

"Hey..." He poked his head around.

"Fuck _off_."

He stared at Kestrel's shaking shoulders.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing! Everything's goddamn _perfect!_"

"Hey, Kestrel?"

"What!?" She turned, letting him see her tearstained face. He slapped it. "What was _that_ for, you— bastard!"

"_Now_ will you tell me what's wrong?"

"Nothing!" He hit her again. She hit him back. He grabbed her right arm. "Dammit, that's not _fair_..."

"What's wrong?"

"You want to know what's wrong?"

"Why else would I be asking you!?"

"_Everything._" Her fists were clenched as she glared at a cloud above his head.

"Yeah."

"What?" She looked at him in bewilderment.

"Everything sucks."

"Yeah. Yeah, it does." She sniffed, trying to retain a few scraps of dignity.

"Sometimes it gets better..." Who was he trying to convince, her or himself?

"But by then you're too screwed up to think of anything but the past..."

Exactly. "Not like I even deserve it..."

"Why?"

"Why what!?"

"Nothing." She wiped off her face and managed a smile. "Better now."

"Good." She put her hand on his shoulder. He wasn't sure whether to pull away or not. He almost liked it.

"Don't worry about me." Her smile was so fake it was almost a mask.

"I'll worry about whoever I damn well please."

"I don't deserve it. Really."

"Yeah, right." She pulled her hand away from his shoulder, looking away. He took her hand. "Hey. It'll be ok."

"No it won't."

"I'll make it."

"Why?"

"Because nobody else is getting hurt, damn it!"

He stared at her, quietly cursing himself for saying too much. She pulled her hand away, eyes focused on the ground as if it was interesting.

"I'm tired. All of this... I'm tired of it."

"I know."

She turned to look at him. She looked older than he'd thought at first. "Really?"

"Yeah." He managed his own smile. Slowly, she leaned against him.

"I don't know what to do," she whispered.

"Neither do I."

* * *

_Keir, Lytia_

_June 27, 1309_

The TARDIS landed a few days late.

The three of them poked their heads out the door, the Doctor and Roy banging theirs together. Riza shook her head.

The desert was broad and desertish. Shimmering at the horizon were shiny white pyramids, and a city or village could be made out.

"Excuse me?" They looked to the other side and saw a girl with her hands behind her back. "Are you from Ametris?" She was short— not Edward Elric short, but short. Her dress was a cornflower blue with silver embroidery, long with draped sleeves. Behind a headscarf, her thick, shiny black hair was a puff of curls, down to her shoulderblades. She had an innocent, kittenish expression. Her face was heart-shaped.

"Definately the right place," said the Doctor.

"Yes. I'm General Roy Mustang."

"Aravis el'Shara. I'm ver— very glad you speak Lytian." She nodded, wide-eyed.

"Speak what?"

"TARDIS translation matrix. You hear Ametrisian, she hears Lytian... So we're in Lytia, then? Aravis el'Shara... I've heard that name... One moment." The Doctor ran into the TARDIS. Aravis stood there awkwardly.

"Riza Hawkeye." Aravis nodded politely.

"I will go get Alphonse and Winary..." She awkwardly left.

"I'm hot," Roy complained.

"I won't dignify that with a response..." He looked to see a slight smile on Riza's face.

"Major Hawkeye..."

"Where is she?" the Doctor asked, poking his head between the pair.

"She went to get Mr. Elric and Miss Rockbell," said Riza.

"Ah, good. That girl... Queen Aravis the First! She's going to _create _the Lytian Empire... Well, no, that was her great-granddaughter, Aravis the... er, Great. But without that Aravis, well, there'd never be an Aravis the Great! About three hundred years ago I attended her wedding— her second wedding— there was a spot of trouble with Weeping Angels... Brilliant woman, just brilliant."

"I see," said Roy.

"Oh yes."

After a few minutes, the three appeared. Al and Aravis were engaged in conversation about some sort of portal. Al was carrying a cat. Winry wore a red dress, slightly too short and sleeveless. Al had a too-big embroidered tunic over wide and loose trousers that went halfway down his calf, and sneakers.

"Ah, Alphonse Elric and Winry Rockbell!"

"Yes," said Winry, "Who are you?"

"The Doctor."

"Doctor who?"

"Just the Doctor."

"Hello, then... General, Major."

"Miss Rockbell." Riza nodded.

"I guess we travelled back in time..." Al said.

"Time travel does not seem overly plausible... but I do not have a better answer..."

"Oh, it's time. And dimensions, too." The Doctor rattled off an analogy, but it wasn't like that at all.

"I don't get it either," Roy assured them, seeing confused looks.

"Well, come on, you three. Allons-y!"


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter Six_

_Ametrisian Countryside_

_June 27, 1916_

"No... don'..."

"Shh." Today it was Ed comforting Kestrel in her nightmares. He recognized and understood her scars, and he wanted to help heal them. He knew how much it hurt. She needed help, so he'd help her. Simple as that.

She woke up and kicked him in the knee.

"What the hell was that for!?" He glared as she pulled away.

"You— you— leave me alone, idiot!" She glared back.

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

They turned their backs to each other and crossed their arms. What did he care, really? If she didn't want his help, to hell with her. He didn't give a damn— he didn't even give _half_ a damn! Sure, he wanted to know what was up with her and alchemy, but... that was just because it was weird! And alchemy!

"I'm hungry," she grumbled after a few awkward minutes.

"Get your own damn food!"

"Fine! Eat your own shoes! See if I care!"

She stormed off. He examined his shoes. They were starting to look quite tasty, actually...

A little girl screamed.

Ed (who had found fish he wanted to eat more than his shoes) immediately ran to see why.

The survivors of the crash had managed to gather a basket of food in their camp, in a field within sight of the blackened and twisted remnants of train. This basket was being pawed through by a rather large bear. The survivors had pulled away, the little girl on her daddy's shoulders. Ed braced himself to attack.

A rock smacked the bear in the head. It growled and turned. A smirking figure stood with a knife in her left hand— Kestrel.

"Out of my way, Elric." The bear charged. Ed was about to step in when— holy shit. For a few seconds he was surprised by how good she was. She cursed when he lunged in.

"Idiot!" She was light on her feet, but not quite light enough. A kick from his automail was all that kept her leg attached. A quick nod was all the recognition he got.

"I'll play decoy. Catch!" The blade slid over his hand, leaving a red trail. He grabbed the handle and nodded.

It seemed longer than it really took before he had his chance and took it.

For a few seconds, they stood awkwardly. "Didn't mean to kick you," she admitted.

"It's ok..."

"Sorry."

"Really, it's ok."

"No..."

"Yes, it is."

"It really isn't."

"You're an idiot, you know that?" he asked, exasperated.

"Yeah." He sighed and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Kestrel. Will you just _listen_?"

"I'm listening!"

"Then stop apologizing!"

She leaned in towards him, then shoved him back and stomped away toward the forest and the graveyard.

"Why are you so confusing!?" he yelled, storming after her.

"Hell if I know!" she yelled back, not bothering to turn her head. He sped up and tackled her.

"I hate you," she said evenly.

"Well, I hate you too!"

"Get off me."

"No!"

"Why not?"

"You'll run off again!"

"But you hate me!"

"Fine. I don't hate you."

"Then _get off me."_

"Promise not to run off."

"Fine. I promise." So he let her sit up. She didn't run off.

"What's wrong with you?" She was incredibly exasperating. He didn't know why he put up with her.

"Everything?" She clenched her fists, staring at the ground. "I mean, I'm nothing more than a screwed-up bastard who hasn't even got the strength to _give up_..."

"Killed a bear."

"That's easy."

"With one arm."

"You get used to it after a while."

"Most people couldn't kill a bear if they had three arms."

"And your help..."

"Still better than some people."

"You just don't get it!"

"I get it. Whatever you screwed up, can't have been as bad as me."

"You'd be surprised."

"So would you." He looked at her for a few moments. She seemed satisfied enough not to argue and to lean against him. Without another word between them, he hugged her.

Ed didn't have the slightest clue how he'd gotten so close to this girl. But he had. He understood her, much as she confused him sometimes. She was always doing irrational things, but after all, wasn't he the same way? And if he understood her... maybe she understood him. In a way Winry or even Al couldn't.

Again she leaned in, but held back. Somehow— he'd never be sure quite how it happened, he certainly hadn't meant to— he leaned in and kissed her.

He'd accidentally kissed Winry once. This lasted longer. Neither of them really wanted to deal with it. Her lip was bleeding.

"Oh, shit," she whispered, eyes closed, centimeters from his face.

"I'm sorry..." They awkwardly scooted apart.

"What the hell do we do now!?" "

I have no idea!"

"This is bad!"

"Really bad!"

"Oh, to hell with it!"

She kissed him.

* * *

_A Train_

_June 28, 1916_

The survivors of the crash had been found and rescued.

Ed sulked in his seat, still in his dirty and sweaty clothes, pretending he didn't care that Kestrel was avoiding him. Everything had gotten even more complicated, and now she was throwing in even more complication! He didn't like her _that _much. Anyway, he didn't need that much confusion in his life. He was better off without her. Of course he was.

"Fullmetal?"

"Not anymore! And... what the hell are you doing here anyway!?" He turned to see General Incompetence and his girlfriend with an odd grinning man, an odd hiding girl, and Al.

"Looking for someone from another dimension," said the odd man, looking around through cardboard glasses.

"This wasn't the train you were on, Brother..." said Al.

"Yeah, that one crashed, and _you aren't supposed to be on a train yet at all_!"

"Well, first I ended up in the past of an alternate universe..."

Ed fell back into his seat. "I'm drunk. I must be. That's the only reasonable explanation."

"No, two universes are collapsing in on each other. Two _fundamentally _different universe. Your alchemy is completely irreconcilable to my universe..."

"I know he sounds insane, Brother," Al volunteered, "But it really does fit the facts..."

"...You said you were looking for someone from another universe?" Alchemy? Irreconcilable?

"Yes."

"I think I know who you're looking for."

**((Look, guys? I came pretty close to not posting this chapter. Those last two reviews have left me a bit insecure. Look, I'm glad about you mentioning the description. But why can't either of you add the good points? Not cool, guys. I consider what you say, promise. But please be mature and polite about it. Pure negative probably comes off harsher than you mean it. On a lighter note, look! An eventual pairing! I'm sure you saw it coming...))**


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter Seven_

_A Train_

_June 28, 1916_

"Kessy?"

He slowly opened the door, the Doctor crowding behind him. Kestrel was sitting on the floor, her back to him.

"'Kessy'? Really?" Her voice was harsh and flat.

"What's wrong with Kessy?" He stepped closer, worried.

"It's fine, I guess..."

"You're from another dimension?" asked the Doctor.

She turned her head, clear panic in her eyes. Ed put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm not going back," she said slowly, putting her hand on Ed's.

"What? No, no, I'm not going to make you do anything like that." The Doctor smiled reassuringly. "We're just trying to figure why people can get from one dimension to the other."

"I don't know." Her voice hardened and her grip on Ed's hand tightened. He gave the Doctor a dirty look.

"You could help us find out..."

"Sure. Whatever."

"I'll... leave now."

He went to go formulate a Plan. In the adjoining car, Roy, Al, and Aravis were discussing what was going on while Riza stood around bored. Winry was missing. Probably still in the TARDIS being amazed. The Doctor shrugged and butted in on the conversation, seeing as he was the only one with a clue what was going on.

Ed bit his lip. "I'm sorry, Kessy..." She pulled him into sitting next to her, then leaned against him. There was a gun in her lap. He pushed it away and it fell on the floor with a clunk.

"Sorry," she whispered.

"It's ok."

"Really?"

"Really." He paused, then put an arm around her shoulders. She smiled. It lit her face up.

"What..." She nestled closer. "What if I do have to go back?"

"You won't. I promise." Kestrel pulled away. "What is it with you!?"

"Why are you so nice to me!?"

"What's wrong with being nice?"

"The qualifier was _to me_! I'm not worth it! Leave me alone!" She shoved him.

"Has anyone ever told you how _insane_ your mood swings are!?"

"Why don't you just leave me and my insane mood swings, then!"

"Because you're an idiot!"

"I'm sure you don't want to spend any time around my and my idiocy!"

"I'd love to spend time with you if you'd stop being an idiot!"

"You shouldn't!"

"Don't tell me what to do!"

* * *

On the other side of the door, Roy Mustang had started eavesdropping with an amused smile.

"Don't eavesdrop. It's rude," the Doctor reprimanded him. He went back to discussing things with Al and Aravis.

"He's right, sir," said Riza.

"But it's so fun..."

"Sir."

"Oh, fine..." He pulled away, still smiling.

"So?" Riza's eyebrows were raised.

"So what?"

"What was so amusing?"

"Oh, nothing, just Fullmetal and this girl yelling at each other."

"I see, sir."

"Yep..." Roy Mustang went back to eavesdropping. Riza shook her head.

* * *

Ed and Kestrel realized just how close they'd gotten while yelling. He grabbed her wrists.

"Let me go," she hissed.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't know why you were avoiding me!"

"Because you were going to leave! Didn't need to drag it out any longer!"

"Well, where are you going?"

"Anywhere!"

"Fine! Come to Xing with me!"

"What."

"I... I mean, if you don't have anywhere to go..." He was awkwardly aware of how little distance there was between them. "I'm not going to kiss you again!"

* * *

Roy laughed.

"What is it this time?" asked Riza.

"He's not going to kiss her 'again'."

"What?" Al asked.

"Apparently your brother's kissed a girl."

"He _what_!?"

* * *

"Why the hell not!?" Kestrel demanded.

"Because it's— it's—"

Because of Winry? Because he didn't trust her not to run away? Because he still wasn't sure how he felt about her? Because he didn't want to admit how he felt about her?

All of the above, honestly. "It's complicated!"

"Oh, really?"

"Yes!"

"What's so complicated about kissing!?"

"You want me to kiss you!?"

"Maybe!"

"Fine!"

So he did. Her lip was still bleeding. After a few moments, she kissed him back. She pushed him into the wall and kissed him. He knew this was a bad idea, it was stupid and impulsive, and it would get Winry to concuss him thoroughly. He still pushed her back, onto the floor, and kissed her. It was stupid, but he did it anyway.

* * *

"He did it. He actually did it." Roy applauded, still laughing.

"Did what?" asked Al, still rather annoyed and horrified.

"Kissed her. The midget actually kissed a girl."

"Oh, no... We can't let Winry know..."

"The midget has _two _girlfriends?"

"No!" Al thought about it. "Well, he... Argh." He went to open the door, banging Roy in the face.

He found his brother rather passionately kissing Kestrel.

"Brother! What if Winry saw you?"

The pair of lovebirds quickly untangled, smacked each other, and sat as far apart as possible.

"I wasn't doing anything!"

"You were kissing her!"

"No he wasn't," said Kestrel.

"Yes, you were!"

"_No we weren't!_"

"Jeez, you two were just made for each other, weren't you?"

"Take that back!" Kestrel snapped.

Ignoring her, he turned to Ed. "What were you _thinking_!?"

"I wasn't thinking anything!"

"Well, that's for sure..."

"What are you implying!?"

"You kissed her!"

"I did _not_!"

Al whacked his head into the doorframe. "Don't do that," Ed reprimanded him. He just whacked his head again.

"Well, let's go," said the Doctor, poking his head in, "Allons-y!"

They followed him, Ed and Kestrel as far apart as possible. Al sighed and went to stay by Aravis.

"My brother is an idiot," he informed her.

"You have met my sister," she said with a smile.

"Not as bad as Brother..."

Meanwhile, Winry was taking apart the TARDIS.


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter Eight_

_The TARDIS_

_All Of Time And Space_

"What are you doing to my TARDIS!?" The Doctor glared.

Aravis was standing next to Al, continuing their conversation while Ed hid behind his taller younger brother. Roy smirked, and Riza shook her head at him. At the back of the group, Kestrel sulked.

Winry held up a wrench, standing by the console. "I wanted to see how it worked!"

"Very well, thank you! Oh, poor girl..." He patted the TARDIS gently. There were odd wires, thingamabobs, glowing things, and other bits and pieces scattered on the floor. "No taking apart my TARDIS!"

"Fine..." The Doctor glared Winry away from the console and went to look.

"Oh... poor girl... Look what you did. It'll take me a while to fix her..."

"I'll help..."

"You've done enough already."

Winry sulked. "Ed?"

"Hi, Winry," he said from behind Al.

"Why are you behind Al..?"

"Because!" Al sighed.

"Brother, get out from behind me..."

"No!"

"Please?"

"No!" Ed crossed his arms. Al sighed and went to watch the Doctor work, Aravis following him, shaking her head at Ed.

"Hello," Winry said to Kestrel, deciding to let Ed be Ed for now.

"Hello," Kestrel said crossly.

"Winry. Winry Rockbell," she said, offering her hand. Kestrel took it rather like a half-eaten bird.

"Kestrel Archer."

"So, you're from another dimension?"

"Yes."

"What's it like?"

"Hell."

"Oh."

Winry paused. "So, you know Ed?"

"A bit." Kestrel's stance shifted from aloof to halfway aggressive. That settled it, there was _something _up. Maybe she'd been beating Ed up or something. He was always getting intimidated by women... It would explain the hiding, as much as anything ever explained Ed.

"He's a bit of an idiot, isn't he?"

"Hey!" Ed interjected.

"Not really," Kestrel said with a shrug.

"Oh?"

"He isn't an idiot. He's not my friend or anything—" Here she shot him a glare. "—but he isn't an idiot." Roy snorted and Kestrel shot another glare.

"_I _heard—" Roy began.

"I'll kill you," Kestrel interrupted.

"You can try..." He smirked.

She tried. Riza stopped her. Kestrel held her own, but Riza had half an arm, years of experience, hours of sleep, and several good meals on her.

"No fighting!" the Doctor reprimanded as Kestrel skidded into the wall.

"Ow."

"Are you all right?" Al asked.

"Yes," said Riza, turning to walk away.

"Fine." Kestrel rubbed her head. Slowly, she stood up and rammed her shoulder into Riza.

"Really?"

"No fighting!" the Doctor repeated.

"You aren't the boss of me!" Kestrel snapped, attacking Riza.

"Yes I am!"

"Stop!" Aravis snapped, glaring. There was a pause. Riza tripped Kestrel.

"Are you done getting beaten up now?" she asked, putting a foot on her chest.

"Fuck off..."

"No wonder you're Fullmetal's girlfriend," Roy observed, "Violent, reckless, swear a lot..."

The TARDIS went silent.

"Ed?" snarled Winry, lifting her wrench.

"I'm not— you— I'll kill you!" Kestrel attempted to stand. Panic on his face, Ed bolted for the hallway.

"Well, this is just lovely," said the Doctor.

* * *

_The Rockbells' House, Risembool_

_June 23, 1916_

Ed was bored, so he read over Winry's shoulder.

"Hey!" she protested, shutting it.

"That didn't look like automail."

"It isn't. I'm not going to be an automail mechanic. Don't worry, I'll still fix your leg when you break it, idiot..."

"You aren't? But... You're obsessed with automail!"

She turned to look right at him. "I'm going into engineering."

"You still haven't answered my question!"

"Just because _you _knew what you wanted to be since you were in diapers doesn't mean we all did, Ed."

"But still! You and automail, it's like... like... Me and _food_!"

"You know why I've been so obsessive about automail? For _you_. I've always been trying to be a doctor like my parents, but you know what? I've always been better with machines, and I'm done pretending I'm not! So, engineering."

"I'm— I'm sorry!"

"Not your fault, moron..."

"Yes... Yes it is..." Slowly, he walked away.

* * *

_The TARDIS_

_June 28, 1916_

The Doctor reflected that everything was in chaos. Broken TARDIS, and now a love triangle... Humans!

Riza Hawkeye was holding back the violent girl and Al (nice kid, bright too) was holding back the one who'd broken his poor girl. They were spitting insults at each other— and neither one of them considered that poor boy. No wonder he'd run off.

"That was a very stupid thing to say," Aravis informed Roy, crossing her arms.

"It was an observation..."

"Some observations are to be kept to yourself."

"Yeah, yeah..."

The Doctor observed the room. Glaring. Lots of glaring. Well. That was bad. Also, Kestrel appeared to have quite the vocabulary, and was spitting it at Winry. Not that Winry was being polite either, but those were _very _bad words. The TARDIS was nearly fixed, though. That was good.

"I'm sorry, old girl," he whispered. Hmm. Now he'd have to get everything to some sort of order...

"Look. You made him run away." Ooh, now he had their attention. Time for a lecture. "Don't you care about him? Or do you just hate each other? Really, you're just being petty children. What matters more, whether or not he's happy, or which of you owns him?"

The pair were silent and downcast. "Good. You _should_ be ashamed. Now, the TARDIS is nearly fixed, and then I'm going to try to track where all this started. Go sit in the corner, would you?" And at last, they did.

_Teenagers_.


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter Nine_

_1867_

_Topanga, Almiane_

"Victorian!" the Doctor announced, and pulled his head back in. Nobody in the TARDIS understood this statement. "Right. None of you had a Victoria... Well, look outside."

Everyone did so, Kestrel and Winry thoroughly avoiding each other.

"Topanga," Kestrel said.

"Fascinating place," said the Doctor, "Ever been to a wedding here?"

"A few."

"I had one... Bit sorry for the poor man, actually... Well, all of you are dressed completely wrong," said the Doctor, "Actually, I am too... In any case, I've got a good Victorian supply in the closet."

"Now, um..." The Doctor came to the conclusion that a skirt was much too short for Kestrel. The group was finally organized in the closet, and the Doctor was rummaging through it.

"Well, the jerk's girlfriend and I should probably crossdress..." Kestrel stated. Everyone gave her blank stares until she pointed to Riza.

"I'm not his girlfriend."

"I'm not a jerk!"

"Yes, you are," Ed said, sulking in a corner. Aravis looked through dresses, hung on circular, levitating racks. She smiled at a soft pink sundress.

"The hair, the fighting," Kestrel continued.

"Your height. Yes, I think that's a good idea," the Doctor agreed, "Winry Rockbell, what did I tell you about touching my TARDIS!?"

It took a while, but eventually everyone was in period dress. Except for the Doctor's shoes, which he refused to change.

"This collar _itches_," complained Ed, avoiding Kestrel and Winry. It had been hard, but he'd managed to avoid letting anyone catch a glimpse of his arms.

"I think you dislocated it," Kestrel informed Riza, holding her right arm.

"I did not," Riza insisted, cuffing her trousers.

"Well, you injured it."

"I got it in your sleeve."

"Well, it hurts!"

"You're fine."

"I'm a cripple."

"You're whining."

Aravis was standing awkwardly in the corner, uncomfortable about the dress. And the corset. And the bustle. She didn't know what it was, but she didn't like it. It was tacky. And there was dress behind her, so she'd bumped into the wall earlier than expected. Al stood next to her, and she smiled. Kestrel and Riza continued to argue, Ed fiercely ignored Kestrel and Winry, Roy watched the argument, Winry fiddled with her hair, and the Doctor was annoyed. Aravis sighed.

"This is rather... chaotic."

"Yeah... Um, Aravis, I have something to tell you..."

"What is it, Alphonse?"

"All right," the Doctor said, "Yes, you _are _whining, but her shoulder probably does hurt. Let's go."

"Well, um..." Al didn't know how to start. What did he say, 'I know you didn't mean to tell me but I know you're a chimera and I'm sorry'?

"I'm not whiny," Kestrel insisted.

"Shut up," said Riza.

"No."

"Excuse me, Alphonse." Aravis said gently, stepping into the fray. She managed to get silence. "I believe it is time for us to leave." She stood there, glaring them to disagree.

"My shoulder still hurts."

"Let's just go." Riza sighed.

"Fine." And finally, they were out the door.

It smelled. Like dirty smoke and dung, sweat and spices. The clothes were colorful, the accents varied. Overwhelmed, Aravis clung close to Al.

"It used to smell worse..." Kestrel observed, "Or maybe— oh, damn tenses. When I used to live here in the future, it didn't smell as bad." She nodded, satisfied with this.

"Now, we've just to find something that could cause this... something that doesn't fit." The Doctor paused. "All things considered, we'll probably blunder straight into it."

"Arian food." Kestrel stopped right in front of a restaurant that smelled strongly of spices. "I'm hungry..."

"So am I," Ed said.

"You're always hungry, brother..."

"Lunch sounds good," the Doctor said, "Why don't we go?"

"Fine with me," said Roy. The group entered the restaurant like sand through an hourglass. Before they went in, Aravis tugged on Al's coat sleeve.

"Alphonse? What did you want to tell me?"

"Um... so... remember that paper you tore up? Well you said some stuff and I understood a bit more of it than I think you meant me to and... well... I..."

"Alphonse..." She pulled away a little, terror written all over her face.

"I'm sorry... I... I know some chimeras... they're trying to find a way to fix it..." She nibbled at her lower lip, wide eyes beginning to well up with tears. With a quiet sob, she buried her face in his chest. He gently held her, wishing he could help.

"It is... as fixed as it can be..." she whispered.

"Well... that's good, right?"

"Y-yes..." She sniffled and pulled back. "Promise not to tell anyone, Alphonse... please..."

"I promise." She slowly nodded, wiping her face off. Gently, he took her hand. She held it with a smile.

"Perhaps it will be quieter inside..." she suggested. Al nodded. It _was _awfully loud. They walked inside together.

"Major, she's taller than me," Roy Mustang whispered.

"Just barely, sir..."

Overhearing, Ed began to smile nefariously. Kestrel was towering over the blond waiter. Al and Aravis walked in, hand in hand. The Doctor rambled on about the food. Winry stood in the corner, looking around at everything.

"Is it _that _big a deal a girl's taller than you?"

"_Fullmetal's girlfriend _is taller than me."

"She isn't my damn girlfriend!" "Shut it before I _kill you_." Everyone else gave him a dirty look.

Just as Roy was opening his mouth, Kestrel pointed to a woman. She had a black skirt and a gray blouse. She and Aravis would have called her Song; the Ametrisians, Xingese. Her most noticable trait, however, was the fact she had one arm and one leg. She was accompanied by a tall, muscular-looking redheaded woman.

"Is that Ling Gray?" she asked the waiter.

"Yes, the widow Gray. Are you friends?"

"No, just passing acquaintances..." She was quiet until they were all seated.

"Well?" the Doctor asked.

"In 1907, Ling Gray had all her limbs."

_**((A/N: Uno, yay for reading this! I love you all. Dos, Chapter Ten isn't finished yet... So from now on the updates shall be 'whenever it's written'. I'll try my best to be quick.))**_


	10. Chapter 10

_Chapter Ten_

_1867_

_An Arian Restaurant, Topanga_

The implications of this were discussed, and a conclusion arrived at. Ling Gray had done Human Transmutation.

"She's probably really from Xing or somewhere," Ed hazarded as the food arrived. The Doctor reached into his pocket and crossed himself.

"In my other coat..."

"Those glasses?" Riza asked, taking her food.

"Yes. I'd have been able to tell if she'd come through a rift... Ooh, looks delicious!"

"I'd go more off how it smells..." Kestrel commented, stealing a piece of Ed's chicken.

"Hey!" He stole it back. Kestrel shrugged and stole a bite of the Doctor's curry. Aravis toyed with her food, gnawing at her lower lip. Putting a hand on her arm, Al took a bite of his food. He frowned.

"What is it?" Kestrel asked, the Doctor slapping away her fork with his own.

"That's... spicy."

"Arian food is. Have some milk." Kestrel moved her attention to fighting the Doctor. The pair treated their forks like swords, and every bite of food like a wound, dramatically clutching their chest. Ed slowly chewed his chicken, Winry furiously ate, and Roy pinched his nose. Riza sighed at the childish antics. Kestrel was leaning across the table to attack the Doctor. Suddenly, she knocked the fork out of his hand. The Doctor ducked down to get it, and half the table suddenly became a street.

Before anyone could properly register this, it disappeared again. And so did the Doctor, Al, Aravis, and Riza.

"What just happened!?" "What the hell's going on!?" Enraged, Ed and Roy both shoved their chairs back and stood.

"It was a portal... Like the one Al and I got trapped behind," said Winry.

"Great! What the hell do we do now!?" Ed had to find Al, couldn't lose him. Not again.

"The TARDIS?" Kestrel suggested.

"No way I could make it work..." Winry reached a hand out for Ed. He was too angry to notice.

"We'll find something," Kestrel said evenly. Ed flung his fork to where Al had been sitting. "Edlet!"

"Are you calling me short!?"

"No, I'm telling you it'll be _fine_. Goes for you too, jerkface. Your girlfriend can handle herself."

"But where the hell are they?" Roy said, teeth gritted.

"We should go find Ling Gray."

"No, we should go find my brother!"

"The Dumbass obviously knows more than we do! We should figure out what's up with Ling Gray since that's a more attainable goal!" The two glared at each other across the table.

"Guys?" Winry butted in.

"My brother's gone missing!"

"Guys!"

"I'm sure he can take care of himself!"

"Guys! She's _gone!_"

It was suddenly discovered by everyone but Winry that Ling Gray had disappeared.

"Where'd she go!?" Ed snapped.

"I don't know!" Roy kicked a chair.

"Well, that's just great!"

"I know where she lived in 1907..." Kestrel said, "We could try there."

"Fine," said Roy, clenching his fists.

"Let's go!" The four stormed out without finishing or paying for their lunch.

* * *

_The Promised Day_

_Central_

The Doctor held up his fork triumphantly before he realized he was in the middle of a street.

"Well. This is interesting..." Riza picked herself up, slightly concerned at the lack of Roy Mustang.

"Central," said Al, helping Aravis up.

A tank drove through the street. The four quickly jumped onto the sidewalk and hid behind a mailbox.

"Promised Day?" asked Al.

"Promised Day," Riza agreed.

"What's the Promised Day?" the Doctor asked.

"It's... a long story," said Al.

"But if we don't get out of here soon, we'll die temporarily," Riza said.

"Die?" Aravis asked, staring at the tank.

"Temporarily?" asked the Doctor.

"It's a _long _story." Riza poked her head out from behind the mailbox, pulling out her gun.

"Oi! No guns!" said the Doctor.

"The coast's clear." She stood up, gun still out. The Doctor frowned and followed her.

"I won't stand for guns."

"I don't particularly care what you will and won't stand for." Al helped Aravis up, the pair blushing and smiling.

"Well, I do. _No guns_."

"The gun stays."

"It goes or I do."

"Go ahead."

"I might just take you up on that!" The Doctor glared.

"Um, I don't think that's such a good idea..." Al hazarded.

"I suggest staying together," Aravis agreed.

"No. Guns."

"Why not?" Riza turned back to face the Doctor.

"There's _always _a better way."

"No, there's not."

"That's a defeatist attitude."

"No, it's practical."

"And since when is life about practicality? What you can achieve by killing isn't worth it."

"You can't accomplish anything if you're dead."

"Exactly!"

"Look, you can go or not, but the gun stays with me."

"Fine!" The Doctor marched off in a random direction, his tailcoat streaming behind him.

"Er," said Aravis, Al's arm around her shoulder.

"Well?" Riza paused and realized she had no idea what the hell they were supposed to do next. She sighed.

"I think you should apologize to the Doctor, Miss Hawkeye..."

"Maybe." She looked around, alert for any sign of danger.

And then she saw him. Sunglasses and a nice suit; those weren't right, but this was one man she'd always be able to recognize.

"Sir?"

"Riza?" asked a disbelieving Roy Mustang.


	11. Chapter 11

_Chapter Eleven_

_The Promised Day _

_Central_

He didn't use her first name. Not in public like this.

"No... You... Envy." Riza had seen that look on his face before, once. Al pulled Aravis behind the mailbox.

"Sir! I don't know what's going on, but I'm not Envy!"

"Like hell you aren't," he snarled, snapping. The burst of flame just went over her head, leaving her hair singed.

"Ishval! My back!" He lowered his hand, just standing there for a moment.

"Riza?" he asked, unsure.

"Yes, sir." Pushing aside her speculations on what was going on, she stepped forward and put a hand on his arm.

"But... you died..." Her suspicions were confirmed when he had to start from her hand to find her face. It felt too public, too exposed to have his hand in her hair. "How are you here?"

"It's... a long story." She paused. "I'm not sure you'd believe me."

"Hawkeye?" She turned to see Maes Hughes and the Doctor heading toward them. And behind them...

She pushed away Roy's hand and shot the one-eyed _thing._

"_That's _why the gun stays," she informed the Doctor.

"Did you _have _to kill it?"

"Yes."

"Hawkeye... what are you wearing?" asked Hughes. She looked down at herself.

"It's a long story."

"Mr. Hughes?" Al stared, rather bewildered by this turn of events.

"Yes?"

"It's me... Al... Alphonse Elric..."

"Who?"

"I think that timeline thing you talked about happened," Riza informed the Doctor.

"And why do you think that?"

"Because in this timeline, apparently we never met the Elrics, I died, and Hughes didn't."

"Hmm. Does sound like timeline shenanigans. Universe isn't going to like you being here..."

"What's going on here?" asked Hughes.

"It is a _very _long story," said Aravis, who had been feeling rather left out.

"Look, there's another cyclops," said the Doctor, pointing. "Don't—"

Riza shot it. "I think we'd better go inside to talk."

* * *

_1867_

_Ling Gray's House_

Even compared to the other buildings, it was old. It stood on its own in a corner, square and green with lace curtains.

"We'll need a way to get in," Kestrel said.

"'Inquire inside on boarding'," read Winry.

"That would be a way to get in," Roy commented.

"Whatever," Ed said, arms crossed. Kestrel sighed.

"Wait a minute," she ordered Roy and Winry, grabbing Ed by the arm and dragging him into a side alley.

"Let go," he said grumpily.

"Fine." She folded her arms. "Look, I have sisters."

"So?" He avoided eye contact. This couldn't end up like the train. Winry would kill him.

"I know how damn scared you are."

"I'm not scared!"

"Yeah, you are. Crappy liar."

"I am not!"

"Yes, you are. Stop contradicting me; it makes you sound like an idiot."

"Egomaniac," he grumbled.

"Midget."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE COULD USE A DANDELION SEED LIKE A PARACHUTE?"

"Someone's touchy..."

"Shut up."

"Anyway, we _are_ gonna find the kid, OK?"

"Of course we are." She lightly punched his shoulder. His mouth twisted into a smile. Kestrel walked out of the alley, and Ed followed.

"Please tell me you two weren't making out..." said Roy, leaning against a wall.

"Shut up, asshole." Kestrel walked up to Roy, looked him in the eye, and kicked him in the privates. Ed burst out laughing. Roy grabbed Kestrel by the right arm and twisted.

"Oh, that's low," she said with a smile.

"Let go of her, Mustang..."

"I don't take orders from you."

"Where's Winry?"

"She went inside." Ed went to the window, leaving Kestrel to look as if Roy wasn't putting her in a great deal of pain. Winry appeared to be having tea with Ling Gray and laughing.

"Who's that?" Winry asked, pointing to a picture of a woman with large liquid eyes and light hair.

"My wife. My... late wife." Ling Gray spilled a little tea into the saucer as she put down her cup. Winry tried to hide her surprise. _Wife_? This was _definitely _a different world.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Ling smiled, though it didn't quite make it to her eyes. "Now, your cousins. Any habits I should know about?"

"Well... two of them are alchemists."

"Oh, I'm quite fond of the sciences. Glad alchemy's started making its way west. Well, that should be fine, as long as they don't explode anything."

"I think they can manage that."

"Good."

Winry walked out with her hands on her hips.

"Jerkface?" asked Kestrel, still being restrained by Roy.

"I'm not a jerk."

"Fine. Face, to be completely honest, I'm in a damn lot of pain at the moment."

"Apologize."

"Let her go, Mustang." Ed glared. Winry stood, being completely ignored.

"Much as I love playing damsel in distress..." Kestrel stomped on Roy's foot and pulled her arm free with a wince and a loud curse. "Holy _shit _my shoulder hurts holy shit _holy shit_..."

"You OK?" Ed asked.

"Yes, I'm cursing because I'm _completely fine_!"

"I was just asking!"

"Excuse me," said Winry.

"Yes, well, I'd think it was obvious I'm NOT OK!"

"Excuse me?"

"Fine then! Do you need some ice or something!?"

"That would be lovely!"

"Excuse me!"

"Yes, Win?" Ed asked, turning toward her.

"She's interested in alchemy and has a dead wife."

"Wait... she has a _wife_?" Roy asked.

"Backwards Ametrisians," Kestrel snorted. "I happen to like pretty girls as much as anyone..."

"You _what!?_" Ed stared.

"Oh, don't be like that..."

"Why don't we all go inside and _investigate?_" Winry suggested.

"Good plan," Roy agreed.

"Still stuck getting me that ice, Fullmetal," Kestrel said, standing up.

"Fine... Do we have any idea what we're doing?"

"Nope," Winry said, opening the door.

"Great."


	12. Chapter 12

_Chapter Twelve_

_The Promised Day_

_Central_

After a great deal of initial confusion, several things were established. Roy was not going to remove his hand from Riza's shoulder because he had to know she was there. The group were dressed oddly because they'd been visiting another dimension, and the Doctor briefly described what wasn't actually happening. Greed was on the side of the rebels, who were, as Riza put it, 'screwed'. Despite the Doctor's objections, Riza and Al used their foreknowledge to fix the strategy holes. Finally, they weren't near the TARDIS, so—

"لا أستطيع أن أفهمك," said Aravis.

"لا تقلق، أنا أترجم لكم," the Doctor offered.

"I can help," Al said.

"Thahnk you," Aravis said with a smile.

"Afuah." Al smiled back.

"OK, Al, we want you here," Riza said, pointing to a spot on the map.

The world flickered out of existence around her.

_A Warehouse_

_March 3, 1913_

Roy was still there, with a tight grip on her shoulder. She looked around, taking his hand, trying to place the location.

"Riza, what happened?"

"I have no idea. We're in an empty warehouse..."

"Oh no." He pulled her closer.

"Is this where..?" "Probably."

"This could be bad."

"I can't lose you again..." "You won't. I promise." A gunshot went off. And it kept going off. The world started flickering again.

_The Promised Day_

"There we go!" The Doctor switched off something that glowed and made noise.

"What happened?" Riza asked, gently pulling a little farther from Roy.

"The timeline trying to reassert itself— namely, by your dying when you're supposed to. Since the General here—"

"Just Roy."

"Since Roy was with you at the time, he goes back too. Or maybe it's the physical contact..."

"That's bad," said Hughes.

"Rather bad, yes..."

"Well, sitting around isn't going to fix anything." The world flickered, but the Doctor pulled out his gadget and it faded back. Riza was mildly nauseous.

"We'd better get going," Roy agreed.

"What about Aravis?" Al asked. There was a short discussion.

"She'll assist me in getting the TARDIS here," said the Doctor.

Wishing each other good luck, the rebels began the battle again.

_Ling Gray's House_

_Evening_

Two rooms, practically identical. The same size, with almost identical wooden dressers (though the one in the room on the right had a wobbly knob), hand-mirrors, red-and-gold wallpaper, and what looked like blue-and-white Song pitchers (the maker's mark revealed them to be of Castrian make). And in each room, spread with a patchwork quilt, a single bed.

The four stood in the hallway, trying to figure out how to do this.

"We'll have an even enough split if we go by gender..." Winry suggested. There was a brief pause, and the fact this would result in roommates who couldn't stand each other was considered.

"Well—" Roy started.

"Don't," Kestrel said with a glare.

"—I guess I can live with that," he finished, glaring back.

"Well, so can I."

"Fine!" "Fine!" "Fine!" "Fine!" Kestrel and Roy stormed into the bedroom on the left, while Ed and Winry stormed into the one on the right. After a while, a great deal of yelling, and a bit of stomping on each other's feet, everyone ended up where they were supposed to be.

Ed poked his head out the door, paused, then poked the rest of him out the door. And then it closed awfully loudly. Ed cursed, and Winry opened the door.

"Ed?" She stood there in a white dress and a corset.

"I, uh... I was going to take a walk..."

"Can I come with you?"

"Sure, I guess..."

"Just let me get dressed." She went back into the room. He followed her. Kestrel was asleep on the floor. He stepped over her and sat on the bed. Winry pulled on her blouse.

"So, um..."

"Yes?" "Uh... did I wake you up?"

"No, I couldn't sleep..." She did the last button and started getting the skirt right-side-out. "Do you think we should be sneaking around like this? She seems nice... We could just talk to her." "People don't just talk about Human Transmutation."

"Maybe if you were the one to talk to her..."

"You don't get it, Winry..." He found himself saying that too often. She didn't get it. He didn't belong. Nothing was right anymore.

"Fine, then... Can you find my left shoe?" He looked and found it on the other side of the bed. Silently, he handed it to her. "Thanks, Ed."

"Yeah." As Winry finished buttoning her boots, he stood up and lay his coat on Kestrel. She rolled over and mumbled something.

"Well? Let's go." "Yeah." He closed the door behind them.

He pulled away when she put a hand on his arm.

The constellations were alien and the moon was oddly glassy. The streetlamps glowed just the wrong shade. Ed had spent most of the walk lost in thought, and now he rammed his shoulder into the wall.

"Ed?"

"Go away!"

"What's wrong, you moron!?"

"Leave me alone!" He punched the wall, trying to untangle everything. She hugged him from behind, and he froze. "I don't know what to do..." "About what?"

"I— you— us— things were supposed to... We were supposed to get married!"

"We what?"

"And everything's changed— _I've _changed, Winry, and..." He turned around to hold her, tight as he could. "I always took it for granted I... I loved you... But now I just don't know... I don't..."

"Ed... I..." "Don't. Please... just... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." She shoved her mouth against his. After a few seconds of shock, she pulled away.

"Ed... I'm... I'm sorry..." Tears. Those were tears in his eyes.

"I just don't know what to do..." He reached out and took her hands. "Winry, I... it's my fault... I'm sorry."

"I should've gone after you..." "No... I made my mistakes... You didn't need to get dragged in too." Ed let go and turned around. Her fingers just barely touched his shoulder.

"Ed?"

"Please... Go away, Winry..." He closed his eyes and walked away.


	13. Chapter 13

_Chapter Thirteen_

_Ling Gray's Library_

_September 14_

Kestrel threw a book across the room.

All eyes were on her for an awkward pause.

"I... I didn't learn to read until I was thirteen. I'm still crap at it..." she explained awkwardly.

"That is a bit of a problem," Roy agreed. Ed flipped through a book sullenly. The library had blue wallpaper, several paintings of flowers, large bookshelves, and just enough comfortable armchairs. Kestrel sighed and left the comfort of her chair to go retrieve the book.

"How do you even _spell '_transmutation'?"

"T-R-A-N-S-M-U-T-A-T-I-O-N." Ed didn't move his eyes from the book.

"Why does _T-I-O-N _get pronounced 'shun' instead of 'tea-on'?"

"Because spelling is weird."

"And the letter _c_ is completely redundant and confusing."

"Yes it is."

"OK, look for long words that start with _t_... tang-ent-tea-al..."

"Tangential," Winry corrected.

"Wait, why do we have the same language?" Roy asked.

"I have no idea," said Kestrel.

"Some inter-dimensional thingy?" Winry suggested.

"Oh, a _thingy_. How scientific."

"Shut up, illiterate dummy."

"_Semi_literate..."

"She drew a transmutation circle in the margins," Ed broke in. He showed the pages to everyone.

"That looks a lot like..." Roy leaned in.

"It isn't quite right, but it's definitely _meant _to be one."

"Meant to be _what_?" Kestrel asked.

"A Human Transmutation circle."

A tall redhead stood in the hallway, just peeking into the library. She turned and walked away.

_The Promised Day_

_Central_

Once again, she was his eyes.

"The circle will probably be activated soon... Fire." He inhaled sharply and enveloped the... _thing _in flames.

"Oh."

"You'll handle it... Fire, Roy."

"Of course I will. You're back..."

"Fire." She tightened her grip on his arm. "I love you." Despite all the timeline... _stuff_, he was Roy Mustang. And she would always love Roy Mustang.

"I love you too, Riza..."

"Fire." As flame and smoke surrounded them, the world began to dissolve again.

_The Dining Room_

_Evening, September 14_

Winry wasn't hungry. She'd eaten about half her fish, but the conversation with Ed, the way they were treating a sweet widow...

Kestrel was discussing politics with Ling Gray and her lady's companion, Gwendolyn Jones. Gwendolyn was almost as tall as Kestrel, sullen and brown-eyed, her unruly red hair pulled into a braided bun.

Ed yawned. "I'm tired..."

"Me too," Kestrel agreed, "Bedtime?"

"Sounds good."

"Oh!" Ling Gray waved them into sitting back down. "Gwendolyn says you four were in my library."

"Uh, yes," Winry said, fiddling with her fork.

"Research," Ed volunteered.

"And those chairs are comfortable," Kestrel added.

"Well, be careful." She smiled. "I've got my journals in there, and it's best to keep those private."

"Yes ma'am," Kestrel assured her, with an aside look to Ed. Winry stabbed her fish and shoved a lukewarm bite in her mouth.

"Now, you've hardly said three words, Roy," Ling Gray said after a few minutes.

"Oh?" He looked up from his food.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, just... Actually, I'm tired too." He silently picked up his plate and left.

"Well." She turned to Winry, her smile still not making it to her eyes. "I guess it's just us girls now."

"Yeah." Winry felt like she was about to throw up.

"We didn't eat all the biscuits, did we, Gwendolyn?"

"No, marm," Gwendolyn said, standing up, "I'll get them."

"Good. You do like biscuits?"

"Yes..." Winry yawned. Huh, she wouldn't have expected to be this tired... Maybe it was a dimensional time-shift. They'd spent a few extra hours awake after switching dimensions. That made sense. "Actually, I'm awfully tired too."

"Well, you run along to bed, and I'll save you some biscuits." Ling Gray gave her a conspiratorial wink.

_A Basement_

By the time Ed woke up, Winry had given up on trying to pick the lock.

The first thing that registered was that it was dark. The second thing to register was that there was a leg on his chest.

"Get off me, asshole..."

"I'm not _on _you," Roy Mustang said, a disembodied voice.

"Then who is?"

"Not me," said the disembodied and irritated voice of Winry.

"That... would leave Kessy. I think." He sat up. Kestrel muttered something about someone named Elaine and kicked him. "Yep. Kessy. Where are we?"

"Trapped," said Winry.

"Oh." He paused. "It's dark."

"Yes, Ed. It's dark."

"I'm going back to sleep."

"Fine."

There was just enough light that now that he could tell the room was stone, Kestrel's face was smushed against the floor, Winry was leaning against the door, and Roy was sitting in a corner. In another corner, something was covered by a sheet. Ed went to investigate.

"Don't," Roy said.

"Why not?"

"What do you _think _is under there?" It clicked, and the thought made him throw up a little. Ed backed as far away from the _thing _as he could. He fell over Kestrel, banged the back of his head on the floor, and kneed her in the face.

By the time she was properly awake, he was already pinned.

"It's dark," she observed.

"Yeah."

"Oh. Sorry, Edlet..." She awkwardly let him go. He sat up. "What's going on?"

"We're trapped," Winry said flatly.

"Oh. Well, this is bad."

"You think?"

"I want coffee," Ed announced.

"We don't have any."

"So do I..." Kestrel said.

"There isn't any."

"Well, there should be!" Ed punctuated his declaration with accidentally hitting Kestrel, which got him whacked.

"Yes," Roy said, "because there's always coffee when you're held prisoner in basements."

"Doesn't mean there _shouldn't_ be." Kestrel ran the fingers of her left hand through her hair.

"Yeah. Kidnapping would go much better if there was coffee," Ed agreed.

"Don't we have higher priorities, guys?" Winry asked, annoyed.

"Nah. I've been kidnapped plenty of times..." Ed said.

"Yeah. We're pretty badass. We'll handle it." Kestrel gave Ed a conspiratorial grin, which he returned.

Winry whacked her head against the door, wishing she had a wrench for beating some sense into those two.


	14. Chapter 14

_Chapter Fourteen_

_A Warehouse_

_March 3, 1913_

The gunshot rang out again and again and again.

"That's really starting to get on my nerves," Riza muttered, leaning her head against Roy's shoulder.

"Better than killing you." He softly kissed her forehead.

"Are you all right, s... Roy?"

"I have you."

"That isn't what I asked."

"I... I'm fine." Even if it hadn't been Roy, she could've told it was a lie. When people were fine, tears didn't run down their face.

"You're crying."

"It's just... I lost you, Riza... I couldn't protect you..."

"_Roy_." She leaned in and hesitantly kissed him.

It was just them, no words to leave unsaid, no one to pretend to. But it reminded her. It reminded her this wasn't _her _Roy, and that somewhere he was worrying about her.

She pulled away, trying to untangle all this timeline... _stuff._

"Riza?" He felt around for her, nervous. Sitting back down next to him, she put a hand on his shoulder.

"I... I have to know where you are." "I know." She leaned against him with a sigh. "The best plan is to stay here for now... If you're here, they can't use you as a sacrifice. Hopefully that'll screw the plan up..."

"Plus, we don't seem to be able to do much of anything about it." He held her, half-smiling.

"No, we don't."

"I love you..."

She hesitated. He needed it. "I love you too, sir."

The gunshot had faded into the background, but now the sound burrowed into her mind just as deep as the bullet was meant to.

_A Basement_

"Are we all in our underwear?" Kestrel asked, doing a one-armed cartwheel for reasons known only to herself.

"I'm not," Ed said, "Too tired."

"I might as well be wearing clothes..." Winry said, "Actually, Ed, will you help me get this corset off?"

"Uh... sure..." She scooted toward him. He fumbled around to find the laces.

"So, I'm the only one who's really just wearing underwear?"

"Yes," said Roy.

"Well, at least I'm the least attractive of all of us..." She leaned against the wall.

"You're not... uh..." Ed decided to shut up before Roy made fun of him and Winry killed him.

"I look like a man."

Of all the things Ed could have said, the worst one came out. "An attractive man..."

Roy burst out laughing. Winry surreptitously elbowed him.

"Sweet of you," Kestrel said, ignoring Ed's bad phrasing, "But I do think I'm a good judge of women. Anyway, what's under that sheet?" She pointed to the sheet with the _thing._

"It's, uh..." Ed wasn't sure quite what to say. He awkwardly returned to Winry's corset.

"It's what you get when you try to bring back the dead through alchemy," Roy explained.

Kestrel paused. "We're all idiots!" she exclaimed.

"Speak for yourself, beanpole," Winry grumbled.

"Alchemy!"

There was a moment for the meaning of her exclaimation to sink in.

"We _are_ idiots!" Ed agreed, smacking himself.

"Well, someone do alchemy on the door," Kestrel said, getting up. Roy went to do so.

The door stopped being a door and started being a chair, because that was all Roy could think of.

"We should probably go," he said.

It took a few minutes for everyone to get up and moving after spending so long seated, but it wasn't long before the group was planlessly running up the stairs.

_Central_

_The Promised Day_

Aravis happily jumped and clapped as the TARDIS began to materialize. She jumped up to throw her arms around the Doctor, who twirled her around with a grin.

"Aravis el'Shara, you are brilliant!" he informed her.

"I know!" He put her down with a laugh and went to hug his TARDIS.

"Oh, I missed you, old girl..."

"Doctor?" Aravis opened the door and laughed again. "Allons-y!"

"Allons-y, Aravis! Ooh, I like that. 'Allons-y Aravis'. Not as good as 'Allons-y Alonzo', though..." He pulled a level and skidded around on his red sneakers. Aravis paused.

"Doctor, where are we going?"

"To find Alphonse! Hmm, 'Allons-y Alphonse'... No, that sounds horrible." He wrinkled his nose. "Then we go get Major Hawkeye, and back to find the others!" He pulled another lever, then opened the door. Aravis grinned and pulled him out the door.

_Ling Gray's House_

_September 15_

"My shoulder still hurts," Kestrel complained. None of the group would admit it, but they were quite lost. They appeared to be in a sitting room, with a fireplace and a clock. Winry had been quite pleased to discover it was 3:17 until she'd realized the clock was broken.

Kestrel found a lace shawl, held it up to herself, and then put it back with a sigh. She had been relatively unfazed by running around in nothing on but a strip of fabric around her chest and her underpants. It was a rather embarrassing situation, and Ed was the embarrassed one. He was occupied in trying not to notice things like her scars and how muscular her legs were.

"Will you shut up about your damn shoulder?" Roy snapped.

"I think you and your girlfriend screwed it up even worse..."

"How many times do I have to say she's not my girlfriend!?"

"Depends," Ed said, "How long are you going to deny it?"

"Major Hawkeye is my subordinate. A romantic relationship would be completely inappropriate."

"So?" Kestrel asked, leaning against a chair.

"Still your girlfriend..." Ed leaned up against a wall.

"No, she's not."

"Yes she _is._.."

Winry sighed and noticed a poker next to the fireplace. It wasn't a wrench, but she picked it up. And then, she whacked the idiots with it.

"Ow!" Ed exclaimed.

"What the hell was that for?" Kestrel touched her hand to her forehead and muttered a curse when she saw blood.

"Being idiots," Winry said, brandishing the poker.

"You're an idiot." "Kessy."

"Fine..." She sighed and exited the room, walking backwards.

Kestrel promptly fell over an ottoman, which made Winry smirk.


	15. Chapter 15

_Chapter Fifteen_

_Central_

_The Promised Day_

"Alphonse!" Aravis let go of the Doctor's arm and ran along, curls bouncing.

Al was pressed against a wall, mussed and bleeding. This was not the best time to have a girl throwing her arms around his neck, but he smiled as he held her up.

"Hello, Aravis."

"You are bleeding!" She touched his forehead with concern.

"Yeah..." He put her down gently and transmuted the wall into a spike, keeping the one-eyed thing away from them.

"We appear to be surrounded." Aravis seemed less concerned about this than the cut on Al's forehead.

"You should get out of here, Aravis..."

"Then let us go."

"But I have to help out..."

Aravis squeaked and hid behind Al. "Thing!" she said, pointing. Al managed to fight it off, and then Aravis nearly yanked his arm out of its socket, pulling him into the TARDIS.

"Gentle with him, Aravis!" the Doctor admonished.

"Are you all right?" Aravis fussed over Al's cuts, giving the Doctor a capital-_l _Look.

"I'm fine..." Al turned to find one of the things had followed them into the TARDIS. "Um, Aravis?" Aravis looked. The Doctor quietly fiddled with the console.

It attacked. Al countered. It bit his arm. Aravis hit it with Winry's wrench.

"Shall we get Major Hawkeye?" she asked as Al blinked and the Doctor shook his head.

"What do we do with this?"

Aravis whacked it with Winry's wrench again. "This?" she suggested. Al paused, then picked it up and carried it out of the TARDIS and closed the door.

"There. It is gone. Now, Doctor, Alphonse will need medical supplies."

"That's really not—" She folded her arms and looked at him. Al meekly sat down and allowed Aravis to bandage him up, the Doctor fiddling with the TARDIS and grinning.

Heads were poked out the door in a column.

"They aren't there..." Al said. Aravis stepped out to look on the other side of the TARDIS.

"No they are not!" she called from the back of the TARDIS.

"Temporal shenanigans, you think?" the Doctor mused.

"Probably," Al said. Aravis went back into the TARDIS, skirts swishing. Al closed the door and the Doctor crossed his legs.

"We don't know _when _they are... or where... Should've asked..."

"You can find the portals, right?" Al asked.

"Right. Something as timey as that ought to leave a mark..."

"The catalyst we decided on was a lack of Elrics, correct?" Aravis added.

"Right... So in the original timeline, you and your brother must have saved the Major's life! Help us narrow it down?" Al thought.

"Well... There was this one time in 1913. February or March..."

_March 3, 1913_

_A Warehouse_

It had started out perfectly routine.

All they had to do was investigate a couple claiming to sell Philosopher's Stones. When the Stones turned out to be rocks, well, a raid had been in order.

The dark-haired woman stood smiling in the middle of the warehouse, hair and dress hanging straight down. Riza raised her gun, keeping her finger off the trigger. Nobody had to die today.

"Hello, then." She winked playfully at Roy.

"Where's your friend?" he asked.

"Around here somewhere." She turned to Riza. "Ah, Miss Hawkeye!"

"Lieutenant," she corrected.

"Is the gun _really _necessary?"

"Yes."

"Drat."

"Now, Miss Ellis, will you tell me where your friend is?" Roy was annoyed and tired. He'd get these two, fall asleep on Riza's couch, and the morning would hold coffee and paperwork.

"You'll find him if you come closer." Amelia Ellis smiled a little too broadly and and didn't blink quite often enough.

"Stay back, sir." Riza slowly approached, gun trained on Ellis.

"Be careful, Lieutenant."

"I will, sir." She took another step toward the woman with the unnerving grin, and the gunshot rang out.

Riza crumpled to the floor. Roy ran toward her, spotted the man coming out of the shadows, and torched him.

"Don't move," he snarled at Amelia Ellis, taking Riza in his arms, hoping it wasn't as serious as it looked.

"I'm sorry... sir..."

"No. Don't say that. You're staying here. You hear me, Lieutenant? That's an order." Blood, too much blood, it had to be less than it looked like, Riza's blood, please no...

"I can't..." She was struggling to breathe. Amelia Ellis tried to sneak off. He torched her too.

"Riza, please... I need you." He lifted her up and started walking. He'd carry her out of there, and she'd be fine. She'd be fine.

Listening to her struggle to breathe left him feeling useless. No. He'd save her. He had to.

"Roy..." She gasped and choked on her own blood. Tears in her eyes. His too. Her rasping, struggled-for breaths each seemed to stab right into his heart.

"Please..." It hurt to see the pain in her eyes, to hear each ragged inhale and sharp exhale, and the moment of fear between them.

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.

"Sir?" Roy looked up from Riza's eyes to see the worried faces of his other subordinates.

"The Lieutenant's been injured." He looked and sounded like a madman. "We have to get her medical attention. Now." Inhale. Exhale. Inhale.

No exhale. No. No no _no_.

"Riza!" He stared down at her, in his arms, seeming so small and limp...

Riza.

_Ling Gray's House_

_September 15_

"I think these are our bedrooms," Winry said, still armed with her poker. Kestrel poked her head in one.

"Yes." She picked a dark blue dressing gown off the floor, pulled it onto her right shoulder, and tried to force her left arm into the sleeve. After several attempts at this failed, she spun around backwards like a dog chasing its tail.

"Kessy?" Ed asked after a few seconds of Roy and Winry being amused by this.

"Yes?" She stopped to face him. "Whoa, I'm dizzy..." He gently put her arm in the sleeve.

"Get automail."

"I will..."

"How do you get dressed?"

"With great difficulty."

"You're supposed to be in the basement."

They turned around to see Gwendolyn with a pistol.

The situation was summed up in four expletives.


	16. Chapter 16

_Chapter Sixteen_

_Ling Gray's House_

_September 15_

"Running now?" Kestrel suggested. Winry brandished the poker, which made Gwendolyn raise an eyebrow.

"Good idea," Roy agreed.

They ran for the stairs. Winry lunged. Gwendolyn effortlessly kicked the poker from Winry's hand. With a pause, Winry decided this was a good time to run.

The four clamored down the narrow staircase with a great deal of shoving and swearing. A bullet just barely missed Roy's shoulder. Another would have hit Winry if she hadn't been tripping over Kestrel. Ed pulled her up, Gwendolyn Jones stood at the top of the stairs and aimed her pistol, and the four scattered to either side of the staircase.

Roy transmuted a wall blocking the staircase.

"It won't hold long..." The wall buckled as Gwendolyn rammed into it. The door was fifty feet away, but they'd barely made it to the hall when the wall broke.

Kestrel quickly turned and ran for the library. Winry opened the door. Gwendolyn skidded to a stop, fired a last shot which splintered the door, and then ran after Kestrel.

"Kessy!" Without thinking, Ed followed them, slamming the door.

Winry pulled at the handle, but the door had closed behind them.

"Ed! You moron— you— idiot!" The people in the streets blinked at her, more confused than scandalized.

"We should go," Roy said, pulling her away from the door.

"But— Ed!"

"He can handle himself. We can't help anyone if we get shot."

"I... I guess you're right." They walked away as if nothing odd was going on.

Kestrel was nearly to the library, Gwendolyn falling behind and Ed catching up.

Gwendolyn turned. There was a gunshot. Kestrel skidded to a halt. Ed stared at the blood coming from his uppder abdomen. Oh. He'd been shot. Ow.

"Ed!" Kestrel ran toward him, ignoring that Gwendolyn was between them— until she grabbed Kestrel's arm. Her right arm.

What she'd been complaining about had been an ache. This brought tears to her eyes. It was overwhelming, she couldn't fight her way through it, she was an idiot for not getting automail. Her arm was released. The pain stayed.

Gwendolyn looked from Ed, kneeling and staring at the blood on his hands, to Kestrel, gasping in pain.

"I'll get the mistress."

_March 3, 1913_

_A Warehouse_

Aravis was shocked. Al was surprised. The Doctor was grinning.

Roy and Riza were kissing.

Riza looked up to see the three. "Oh, shit."

"What is it?" Roy asked, holding Riza tightly.

"Hello, Roy," said the Doctor.

"Oh."

"Hi," Al added.

"Hi." There was an awkward silence. "This is a bit awkward..."

"Well... I _did _kinda know already..."

"...Oh."

"I suspected," added the Doctor. Riza was rather surprised and embarrassed by this.

"Well, we're off to find the others. Ready to go, Major?"

And here it was. The rational part of Riza Hawkeye said that the man with his arms tightly wrapped around her waist wasn't her Roy Mustang, that she needed to go.

But he was Roy Mustang. He needed her. And however irrational it was... if she had been better, this Roy would have had his own Riza. If she had been good enough. So she couldn't leave him.

Riza hated how helpless she was when it came to Roy Mustang. She wished she had the strength to just do the sensible thing, but she didn't.

"I, uh..." She didn't know what to say. Whatever she said, she'd just sound like a pathetic lovesick idiot. Which she was, but nobody had to know that. The Doctor gave her an expectant look.

"Allons-y?"

"I... can't."

"Why not?"

_Because I'm a lovesick idiot,_ she didn't say. Instead she silently pointed to Roy, who had decided to just keep his mouth shut. "Ohhhhhhhh." The Doctor nodded sagely. "Well, then. We'll pick you up later?"

"That's probably best."

"See you later then, Miss Hawkeye..." Al waved and the three departed, Aravis holding Al's arm.

Roy didn't know what to say.

"I'm... sorry."

"Don't be." She brushed his hair out of his face and kissed his forehead. "I love you."

"I love you too..."

"So I'm staying."

"...Thank you." She leaned in and kissed him again.

_The Study_

_4:23 PM, September 15_

"Did you have to rough them up so badly, Gwendolyn?"

"Yes, marm."

Ed was bleeding on a rather expensive-looking rug and cursing. Kestrel sat next to him, her arm in an inhuman position, a tight grip on his hand. Gwendolyn stood over them, pistol trained at Ed. And Ling Gray sat in an armchair, looking far too unconcerned with the situation.

"Go— to- hell," Kestrel snarled.

"I'd like to," Ling Gray said sincerely. She paused. "Maybe he'll take you... in exchange for her..."

"No." Ed tightened his grip on Kestrel's hand. He knew it would stop hurting soon... and then, he'd be dead. The pain was good. It meant he was alive. "You can't... bring back... the dead."

"Yes I can."

"No you can't!"

"And why not?"

"It doesn't— _work— _that way."

"Really?"

"Yes!"

"And how do you know this?"

"Because..." He felt like he was about to pass out. The sharp pressure of Kestrel's grip on his hand helped him focus. "I tried it..."

Ling Gray paused. "Then I'll have to be better than you," she said quietly. "Gwendolyn, do we have enough supplies?"

"Yes, marm." Gwendolyn curtsied and exited.

"Me first." Kestrel's tone was even, though she was breaking Ed's hand.

"Oh?" Ling Gray blinked.

Kestrel slowly stood up. She focused an unsteady glare at Ling Gray.

"Kessy..." Ed tried to stand up, but he'd lost too much blood. Kestrel gripped her bad shoulder.

"Me," she spat, eyes wet.

"Kessy, no..." Ed groaned and pressed harder on his gunshot wound.

"Shut up." Kestrel kept her eyes focused on Ling Gray, who slowly nodded. "Holy _shit _my arm hurts," she muttered, slowly collapsing to the floor and leaning against Ed.

"You— _idiot_."

"I know."


	17. Chapter 17

_Chapter Seventeen_

_Topanga_

_4:23 PM, September 15_

"Doctor!"

"Finally!"

The Doctor, Al, and Aravis were walking along one side of the road, looking disheveled. Roy and Winry were on the other side, and rather disgruntled.

Winry crossed the street and hugged Al.

"Did you know you're in your underwear?" the Doctor asked her.

"Ling Gray drugged us and threw us in the basement," Roy explained.

"That's not very nice... Where are Shorty and Little Miss Violent?"

"Where's the major?" Roy countered, scanning for Riza Hawkeye.

"She's, er... In an alternate timeline."

"Why?"

"The alternate version of you. In that timeline, she... Well, she was dead." The Doctor scratched his head. "Actually, leaving her there wasn't the smartest thing to do... the damage it could do to the timeline..."

"Then let's go get her."

The Doctor reflected that it really was obvious that those two were in love.

"Where's Brother?" asked Al.

"Still with Ling Gray... She did Human Transmutation," Winry said.

"Oh dear," said the Doctor. Aravis held Al's arm tigher.

"We shall have to organize a rescue," she said, quietly.

"Yeah," Al agreed, holding her hand. Winry blinked. Could they..? No way. But a pair of shy cat-loving alchemists...

On further thought, Al and Aravis were made for each other. She smiled. No. Bad Winry. Matchmaking _after_ you rescue Ed and save the world.

Was Ed all right? Winry bit her lip as the others discussed a rescue plan. If anything had happened to the moron, she'd kill him. He had to be all right...

A plan was made.

"And, Winry... get dressed."

_An Alley_

_4:32 PM_

Gwendolyn Jones was gathering calcium.

The best place to find this was bones, and the best place to find bones was an alley. The zaftig woman picked up a jawbone and examined it.

Then a wrench smacked into the back of her head.

"That's my wrench..." Winry said. She, Al, and Aravis were in the alley. Winry had a blue dress and remained barefoot. Al and Aravis looked rather mussed from a night spent in an alley.

"I like it," Aravis said awkwardly, handing it to Winry. Finding no pockets, Winry held it, finding its heft comforting. Al put his hand on Aravis' shoulder, and she smiled at him.

Winry couldn't stop herself from smiling.

"You two are adorable."

"We... are?" Aravis held Al's hand, blinking at Winry.

"You were just made for each other..."

"Wait, what?" Winry paused. "Uh... forget I said anything. Let's go save Ed..." _Please be OK, you idiot... _

"Um, OK..." Al said. He and Aravis followed Winry in the back door, hands untangling and blushes matching.

_The Study_

_4:35 PM_

Ling Gray sat at her desk, looking at her books and not seeing the pure hatred Kestrel was directing at her.

Kestrel would have attacked, but Ling Gray was a desperate woman with a knife, and Kestrel was in pain. Her arm hurt where it was, if she tried to move it it hurt more, and even focusing she couldn't hold it perfectly still. And in a fight, even with Ling Gray— she was too smart for that.

"You'll be _fine_," she gritted out, crushing Ed's hand and turning to face him. The pain kept him awake. And awake was alive.

He could see the tears running down her face. Slowly, he reached out the hand she wasn't crushing.

"Kessy..?" She turned; he wiped tears off her face. "Don' cry..."

"Sorry..." He couldn't think straight, he could hardly think at all. Her eyes were so blue. He didn't like seeing tears in them. They were so beautiful...

He heard a knock on the door. Ling Gray muttered a curse. The knocking continued, and got a bit musical.

"Just hold on," Kestrel whispered, "It has to be them..."

"I knew a guy named Ling," he mumbled, "He was really annoying. Ate my shoes once..." More tears in her eyes. More pressure on his hand. "You're pretty..."

"I... what?"

"Pretty..." He paused. "...Kessy?"

"Yes?"

"Gonna pass out..."

"No!"

He did.

_The Door_

_4:39 PM_

The Doctor tired of knocking and sonicked the lock open.

"Let's go, then." Roy was worried about the kid, though he'd never admit it, and immediately started for the stairs. The Doctor followed. "You're sure the kids can handle Jones?"

"Mostly sure."

"Mostly?"

"Well, Al does circleless alchemy, Aravis is surprisingly dangerous with a wrench..."

"I thought the Rockbell girl was the one with wrenches."

"Well, she's certainly _dangerous _with a wrench..."

They reached the door to the study. Roy was ready to transmute. The Doctor was ready to sonic.

"Move and I kill her," said Gwendolyn Jones, holding a gun to Winry's head.

Al and Aravis weren't there. Dead? Hiding? Winry struggled; the Doctor slowly lowered his sonic screwdriver and raised his hands.

"There's no need to shoot _anyone_," he said reassuringly.

"Hands where I can see them," she ordered Roy. He did as ordered.

"Damn the girl," Gwendolyn muttered, "Now. What's your business with the mistress?"

"We're here to find some friends," said the Doctor, "Now, put the gun down. We're all friends here..."

"Yes, put down the gun," Winry agreed.

"Do you think I'm a fool?"

"No," said Roy.

"Good." She kept her gun to Winry's head.

"Why does a lady's companion need a gun?" mused the Doctor.

"I'm a bodyguard, idiot."

"_Oh_, I see..." Roy gave the Doctor a look. Was he stalling?

The Doctor paused. "Why are you helping her do this? I mean, really. She's a bit mad..."

"Mistress Gray isn't mad!" The barrel of the gun bruised Winry's forehead. "I'm a loyal servant." The words were gritted out.

"You love her," Roy said. It just seemed right. He hadn't noticed it before, but it made a rather large amount of sense.

Gwendolyn paused. "Yes," she said softly, "And she loves Andra. So she gets Andra."

"Ah, love," said the Doctor, "Most beautiful thing in the world, and motivation for most of the ugly ones."

"Shut up."

A gunshot pierced Gwendolyn's skull. Riza Hawkeye lowered the gun, standing there, looking at Roy as if to counterpoint the Doctor's statement.

"No." The Doctor charged up to the inexplicably present Riza. "You just killed her for nothing but being in love with a woman half-mad. What gives you the right?"

Riza silently walked past him and charged into the room with Ling Gray.


	18. Chapter 18

_Chapter Eighteen_

_The Study_

_4:40 PM_

Ling Gray blinked at Riza.

"You've got a gun."

"I'm not going to shoot her," Riza said, not turning from Ling Gray as the Doctor and Roy entered, "It's not a hostage situation."

"You'd better not," said the Doctor.

"Shut up," Roy said. He could tell how much the Doctor's words hurt her, and Riza's pain enraged him. He knew perfectly well he was a monster, but how dare that Doctor accuse Riza of being a murderer? How dare he hurt her, how dare he—

"Idiots!" If looks could kill, Roy and the Doctor would have been dead. Kestrel looked more than half-mad, cradling Ed's head in her good arm.

"Is he..?" Roy couldn't finish the thought.

"Let's hope not," she gritted out.

"I'll get him to the TARDIS." The Doctor knelt down to lift Ed. "If there's any more _shooting_... Not. On. My. Watch." He carried the boy out, Kestrel escorting him with a tight grip on her bad shoulder.

"_Are _you going to shoot me?" Ling Gray looked and sounded so innocent.

"No." Roy quietly watched her, just slightly gnawing on her lip. It wasn't the time, but he couldn't stop himself from gently touching her shoulder.

She stiffened. "Sir?"

"He's wrong about you," he softly said, pulling his hand away. Ling Gray's mouth twisted into a bitter smile.

"You'd do it for him, wouldn't you?" she asked Riza.

"Do what?"

"Anything."

Riza paused. "I don't have to answer that." She thought of that other Roy, the one who she'd failed...

No. Don't think about him, the Roy she'd abandoned twice. Because then she'd feel like a failure, she'd get angry, she'd irrationally loathe herself...

"Yes," she whispered. She was vulnerable. How could she let herself be so vulnerable?

Ling Gray smiled knowingly; sadly and knowingly. "I'm not evil."

"I'm not doing this," Riza said.

"I'll watch her," Roy offered, "You look for the kids."

She nodded and left.

_The Hall_

_4:41 PM_

"What happened!?" Winry stared at Ed, horrified at the sight of him unconscious in the Doctor's arms. Kestrel sullenly tripped her, knocking Winry into Gwendolyn's body. Winry quickly pulled herself up, feeling sickened.

"He's been shot," the Doctor explained.

"He _what_!?" She quickly followed the pair down the stairs, trying not to vomit.

A frying pan smacked Kestrel in the face.

"Oh!" said a familiar voice as Kestrel collapsed, "I— I apologize!"

"Aravis?" Al and Aravis appeared from either side of the stairwell, Aravis looking sheepish. "Aravis," the Doctor asked, "What was that for?"

"I believed she was Gwendolyn Jones..."

"Brother!" Al stared in horror. He reached out to pull Aravis into a hug, cling to her and feel the assurance of her hand on his shoulder.

"Shot," Winry explained, checking Kestrel's pulse.

"We— we need to get him to the hospital!"

"We will," the Doctor promised, "Open the door for me? Someone should probably get Kestrel, too..."

Aravis squeezed Al's hand and got the door. He and Winry managed to pick Kestrel up, and the five made their way to the TARDIS.

_March 3, 1913_

_A Warehouse_

The Doctor had left the teenagers in twenty-first century Topanga. Advanced enough, but not completely alien. Ed and Kestrel were in the hospital, Ed hopefully making a full recovery, and Kestrel mostly armless.

He winced. She'd made the joke first, and so he didn't feel guilty. It was just a really bad pun.

Al, Aravis, and Winry had plenty of money, and it wouldn't be _that _long before he picked them up. Besides, the kids needed a rest. As for him— Riza Hawkeye must have gotten to Topanga somehow.

He felt horrible, sending her to kill Gwendolyn Jones. He felt even worse when he had to dodge a fireball.

"That was the Doctor," said Riza Hawkeye, not unkindly.

"Oh. Are you—?"

"I'm fine!" the Doctor assured him, standing up.

He then had to duck down to avoid what looked a bit like a pterosaur of some sort. "What's that?"

"I don't know, but it's trying to eat me," Riza explained as Roy tried to cook the pterosaur-thing.

"Welakin!" the Doctor exclaimed, "You're a temporal distubance, and they're... antibodies!"

"They're what?"

"They're... oh, never mind. Let's just say we need to get you out of here. Now."

If the Welakin killed Riza to protect the timeline, they'd _really _mess it up.

_Topanga_

_May 3, 2002_

"I... I got you a present..." Al offered a gift box to Aravis, who was sitting on the floor surrounded by papers.

While Ed and Kestrel had been in the hospital, Al, Aravis, and Winry had marvelled at the twenty-first century and discussed the philosophical implications of Aravis studying alchemy or history.

They'd also been contacted by the Hawkguard. The Hawkguard were an alien-fighting organization who knew plenty about the dimensional shenanigans.

Aravis was in the well-stocked Hawkguard library. While it was full of what Michal— a slim blond man with glasses— had called 'computers', Aravis preferred paper.

Atalaya, the Lytian leader with a knifelike nose, had forbidden them from doing any research besides that for the Hawkguard. This had disappointed all of them. Aravis had buried herself in researching the dimensional disturbances. Al liked working with her, and they'd figured out quite a good bit.

Some bits of dimensional fabric were weak. Ling Gray's house sat on one of the weakest spots. Andra Gray had been highly psychic and picked up the thoughts of Coll Marcus, a particularly talented alchemist. Ling Gray had carried on her wife's study of Ametrisian alchemy.

Andra's persistent transmutations had disintegrated the walls between dimensions to reach the Gate. From there, the dimensions had unravelled.

Aravis looked up from a heavily marked alchemical text and smiled. "Alphonse! How sweet..."

"You should open it," he said, putting it down and looking at her notes. He smiled at an annotation: _I wrote that backwards. I am tired._

She did, glad to have something to look at besides words. Inside the box were blue crystal earrings with a matching pendant, and a headband with a rose on it.

"Alphonse!" She threw her arms around his neck, then put them all on. "It is much easier to study with a headband," she said happily.

"Yeah, I saw your hair getting in your face... and that one reminded me of you. With the flower and all... You're— you're like a flower." He paused, then stared down with a blush. "Pretty."

"Alphonse..."

"...Oh dear." He was only half avoiding the subject. "This... Aravis, do you know what this means?"

She looked at the notes. "Yes. I wrote them."

"I know you wrote them, but... Aravis." He looked at her. "Someone has to go to the Gate."


	19. Chapter 19

_Chapter Nineteen_

_March 3, 1913_

_A Warehouse_

The scent of smoke was overwhelming.

"I think we should switch tactics," Roy said.

"To what?" Riza asked. The pair were crouched in a corner, Riza aiming Roy's arm, a gun in her other hand.

"I don't know."

"Any ideas, Doctor?"

"I—" A Welakin departed from the swirling patterns to dive down at the Doctor, shrieking like brakes. The Doctor ran, coat billowing, turning to sonic it.

"They... aren't just targeting me?" Riza gripped Roy's wrists tighter, realizing something she'd known for a while. She pulled him around to face her, putting a hand on his cheek and gently kissing him.

"...What are you planning, Riza?"

"I love you."

And she ran. He reached out to grab her, but she'd disappeared.

Roy knew he was completely and utterly useless.

"Where are you going, Major?" The Doctor followed her, maintaining the sonic. It seemed to repel the Welakin...

Until it didn't. Riza _ran_, finally sliding into the room the gunshot came from.

It was silent except for the repeated gunshot and its echoes— and Riza's own heart. She stood there, catching her breath and gathering her thoughts.

"Major." The Doctor stood in the doorway. "You don't have to do this..."

"Yes I do." She looked him in the eye. "Do I really die?" "I... No. No, you don't."

"Then I don't have to say goodbye."

"And what about Roy? This Roy?"

She turned away from the Doctor. "I'm not going to let him exist."

And with that, she stepped into the path of the bullet.

_Hawkguard HQ_

_May 3, 2002_

Ed and Kestrel were off having lunch, and Winry was playing cards with the Hawkguard.

"Al? Aravis?" Atalaya crossed her legs and lay her cards down.

"Damn you," muttered Michal, examining his own hand.

"Well, I'm broke," said Stella, a petite woman with fading purple dye in her brown hair.

"As am I," added Jameson, the dark-haired stubby doctor.

"Count me in," added a sheepish Susie, a gangly ginger physicist.

"Guess you win this hand, Cap," said Arianna, dark-skinned with bleached braids.

"Oh, really?" Winry fanned her hand out on the table.

"Yay Win!" said Stella, pushing the chocolate on the table over to the grinning Winry.

"Darn," commented Atalaya, turning toward Al and Aravis, "So, what is it?"

"Hello, Doctor," Winry said, seeing the Doctor in the doorway.

"Hello!" said the Doctor, poking his head in. Arianna pulled a gun. "Oh, what is it with the guns? Always _guns_..."

"Doctor!" Aravis smiled.

"Where have you been?" Al asked.

"Taking care of some things with Major Hawkeye..." He eyed Arianna.

"Hello, Doctor!" added Stella, waving.

"Oh, Stella! Lovely to see you again."

"Put it away, Ari," said Atalaya, "He's on our side. I trust him."

Arianna nodded and returned the gun to its holster. "Yes, Cap."

Atalaya smiled and kissed Arianna on the forehead. "So, what is it, Doctor?"

"Oh, I'm just here to pick up the kids... Where are Ed and Kestrel?"

"Having lunch," said Susie.

"Did you _have _to break in?" added Jameson.

"Yes," the Doctor said simply, "Ooh, what have you got, Aravis?"

"Papers." The Doctor took the papers and read through them.

"Ooh, these are brilliant! And... oh, you're right. But when we open the Gate, everyone will be stuck in whichever dimension they're in..."

"Oh," said Al. Aravis clung a bit closer.

"Do... do we all have to return to our own universe?" she asked quietly.

"No; won't hurt anything to have someone in the wrong dimension..."

"Doctor, may I speak with you?" asked Atalaya.

"Of course... Cap?"

"_I _call her that." Arianna folded her arms.

"Atalaya," the Doctor corrected. Said lady dragged the Doctor into a corner.

"Did you tell the Queen?"

"Did I tell her what?"

"That she's the Queen?"

"I will..."

"I think you'd better tell him too.

The Doctor looked at Al and Aravis, noticing the way they were snuggling. "Ohhh..." He smiled. Young love was so beautiful. "I'll go tell them, then..."

"Good." Atalaya leaned against the wall. "So... what would happen if we lost her?"

"Breaking a fixed point? Bad things, Atalaya el'Shadid— _very _bad things." He turned. "Al, Aravis, we need to talk!" The pair followed him into Atalaya's office.

The Doctor glanced down at the mess of papers that coated the desk and scribbled something down. Al and Aravis awkwardly snuggled.

"So... what did you want to talk to us about?" asked Al nervously.

"Well... There are these things called 'fixed points'. Things that _have _to happen. Aravis... _You're _a fixed point."

"I am?" She paused. "Oh..."

"Oh?" Al asked, concerned.

"I, er..." She blushed. "I am _technically _betrothed to a prince..."

"You're engaged!? But— but you're _my _age! You're too young to be..." He stared at the floor. "I..."

"Alphonse?"

"Yes?"

"It is a _political _marriage."

"Oh!" His face reddened. She awkwardly kissed his cheek. He reddened more. "So... You have to stay in Lytia."

"Yes." She took his hands, looking into his eyes. "I do not want to lose you, Alphonse..."

"I don't want to lose you either..."

She stood on her tip-toes and leaned in. He pulled her close. "But... I can't leave Brother and Winry and everyone either..."

"I know, Alphonse... I would not ask you to..." She rested her head against his shoulder. "I wish I could stay..."

"So do I."

"But... the world needs me..." She sniffled and buried her face in his chest. Running a hand through her hair, he gently kissed the top of her head.

"I love you."

She pulled away and stared at him, wide-eyed. For a moment he was afraid he'd said something wrong, until he felt her arms around his neck and her lips pressed against his. The Doctor gave a smile of a man centuries old.

Young love was so beautiful, and young love was so fragile.


	20. Chapter 20

_Chapter Twenty_

_The Docks, Topanga_

_May 3, 2002_

Kestrel stared at the ships sailing off, stealing one of Ed's chips.

Instead of what Ed had expected, Topangan chips were thick wedges of salty fried potato. With vinegar. He stole one of Kessy's back.

"So, what happened?" He knew that look. The way he looked at his automail sometimes.

"Oh, I..." She sighed. "Went looking for a family. Didn't work out."

"Well, you've got one now." He smiled when she looked at him. "Promise."

She smiled back and ate a chip. "Thanks." There was that smile, lighting her face up. She was beautiful. He knew most people wouldn't agree, but most people were idiots. Her smile was one of the most beautiful things he'd ever seen.

Ed realized he was kind of staring at her and stared at the table instead. A few minutes were spent silently eating chips.

"This is kinda like a date," Kestrel observed awkwardly.

"Uh... yeah."

She paused and stared off toward the ships again. "Is it?"

"Um... do you want it to be?"

"Yes." She bit her lip.

"Then... yeah, I guess. It's a date." He stared off at the ocean. There was the sound of metal chair legs against stone, and then Kestrel's hand on his shoulder.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey." He hesitantly put an arm around her waist. "I... I'm not sure I should be doing this..."

"Do you want to?" she asked quietly.

Ed looked at her. "Yes," he whispered. She leaned in closer, her hair brushing against his face.

"Hello!" said a familiar voice. The pair muttered curses and pulled apart. "Am I interrupting anything?" asked the Doctor.

"Yes," said Kestrel.

"Ooh, chips!" He stole some of Kestrel's and ate them. "Anyway, Al and Aravis came up with a brilliant plan, so we've got to fix the timeline of Ametris and drop you off..."

"Drop us off?" Kestrel tried to hide how nervous she was, grabbing at the arm that wasn't there.

"Getting everyone in the right dimension and all," the Doctor explained, eating more. "These are really good chips."

"Get your own," Ed said, putting a hand on Kestrel's shoulder. "Are you saying she has to go back?"

"What? No."

"Good." Kestrel pressed closer against him. Ed hesitated, then put his arm all the way around her.

The Doctor stood up.

"Allons-y?" asked Kestrel.

"Allons-y!" he verified.

_The TARDIS_

_Ling Gray's House, September 15_

The Doctor was picking up Roy and Riza. Aravis was putting her dress back on. Winry was resisting the urge to take the TARDIS apart by insulting Kestrel, who insulted right back.

Ed sat down next to Al. "You all right?"

"It's just... Aravis is going back to Lytia..." Al sat there with his head in his hands. "And... I love her, Brother..."

"Oh."

"I don't want her to go... but the Doctor said she _had _to stay..."

"Why?"

"She's an important queen or something and if she didn't do that the timeline wouldn't work..."

"That's stupid."

"I just..." Al sighed. Ed gave him a hug. "I wish she didn't have to go..."

"You could go with her, you know..." Ed hesitantly suggested.

"But... then I'd never see you again..."

"I know. But... if you want to be with her..."

"I do..."

"Then go."

"I... I'll miss you, Brother..."

"I know." Ed silently held his brother for a few moments. "I'll miss you too."

"You really think I should go, Brother?"

Aravis came out of the closet in her blue dress, wearing the jewelry Al had given her. She quietly stood with her hands behind he back. Al looked up at her and smiled.

"Yeah," Ed said.

"But... we've known each other for what, two weeks? What if I _don't _love her? What if she doesn't love me back? I mean, what if—"

"Al."

"Yes?"

"And if you didn't go?"

"I... I'd miss her..."

"Go."

Al bit his lip and nodded. "Aravis!"

Ed stared at the floor. Hopefully things would go well for Al without a brother to screw them up.

_Ling Gray's Office_

_5:04 PM_

"Shut up," said Roy.

"I didn't say anything," Ling Gray pointed out, sitting calmly.

"You were going to."

"That's just not fair."

"Life isn't fair."

"Hello." The Doctor walked in. "Where's the Major?"

"Looking for the kids," Roy said.

"They're in the TARDIS."

"And Ed?"

"Oh, he's fine!"

"Good." Roy paused. "I'll kill him."

"None of that, now... You go get the Major, and I'll talk with Mrs. Gray."

"Gladly." Roy exited with a look to Ling Gray.

The Doctor pulled up a chair and sat in it backwards. "Hello, Ling."

"Hello."

"Is that a picture of your wife?" He gestured to a framed picture on the desk.

"Yes."

The Doctor examined the picture. "Pretty."

"Beautiful."

"Think she'd approve of the things you're doing?"

"They're for her."

"That isn't an answer."

Ling Gray silently took the picture from the Doctor. "My Andra," she whispered.

"I have lost so many people," the Doctor said slowly, "And I know how much you want her back. But it _doesn't work that way_. More death will not help anyone. Gwendolyn _died _for you."

"She... did?"

"Yes."

"I..."

"Is it really worth all that? You can _never _get Andra back. You've lost your arm, your leg, Gwendolyn— you've nearly become a murderer. Even if she could come back, do you think Andra would really be able to look you in the eye?"

"At... at least she'd be alive," Ling Gray choked out.

"But at what price? Sometimes we have to let go. Keep going, Ling Gray."

"And... if I'd rather die?"

"You have to keep going. It's hard. I know. Too well, really... But you keep going, and eventually, you manage."

"It's a punishment, isn't it?"

The Doctor paused. "I don't take kindly to killing people."

Ling Gray put the picture down, tears in her eyes. "I can't live without her..."

"Yes you can. Now, come on. I'm going to get you a leg to stand on."


	21. Chapter 21

_Chapter Twenty-One_

_East City_

_Hopefully 1910_

Despite objections, Ling Gray had been dropped off in Rush Valley.

The teenagers were left in the TARDIS to do what teenagers did— curse and kiss, mostly. The Doctor, Roy, and Riza set to making the timeline work.

"The papers would be in here," Riza said, hoping the diguises they'd found in the TARDIS would work. She doubted anyone would _expect _to see her as a brunette with horned glasses in a short skirt, or Roy Mustang as a blond.

"So, what did happen, after you... fixed the timeline?" the Doctor asked, watching to make sure they didn't meet themselves.

"Ended up in the restaurant." She opened a file cabinet and rummaged through it.

"Oh, that makes sense... A reset button."

"Only it's not like that at all?" Roy rolled his eyes.

"Well, no..."

"Stop explaining things," he said, attempting to eye his bleached hair disdainfully.

"Well, stop looking at your hair like that. You'll go cross-eyed."

"Elric," Riza said, ignoring them and pulling out a paper. Roy pulled it from her hand and examined it.

"It's got the _right_ age."

"Maybe it's a time loop... We always went back to make it wrong, and we'd only be able to go back if... Now _I'm _going cross-eyed."

"You're catching on," the Doctor commented, "Now, we'd better fix this... If making something wrong can be 'fixing' it..."

"I assume you have a fancy TARDIS thing that can do it?" Roy raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yes!"

"You do that then. I... have something I need to do." Roy stared off into the distance. Riza bit her lip.

"Well, no breaking the timeline, all right?"

"I won't," he promised.

"Look at my baby!" Maes Hughes shoved pictures in the face of every passer-by, grinning like an idiot. "Isn't she adorable? She's so cute! I love her so much!"

"What a pain in the ass," Roy Mustang muttered, watching from a doorway. Riza silently put a hand on his arm. "Man never shut up. But now... Why do I miss something that pissed me off so much?"

"Because that's what best friends do."

"This is the last time I'll ever have to listen to him go on about his daughter..."

"I know."

"Bastard." She quietly patted his arm.

"Yo, Roy! What did you bleach your hair for?" Hughes made his way toward the time-traveler pair.

"I... uh..."

"Time travel," said Riza.

"What?"

"It's very complicated."

"Oh. I see..." Hughes nodded, stroking his beard. "You OK, Roy?"

"Yes?" He stood there awkwardly, staring at Hughes.

"Want to see pictures of Elicia!?"

Roy paused. "Yeah."

Hughes clapped a hand to Roy's shoulder. "Here she is taking a nap... and here she is in my lap, and here she is with her mommy..."

"She's adorable, Maes."

"I know!"

Riza watched with a sad smile.

_The TARDIS_

_Hopefully Also 1910_

"Shut up!" Ed glared at Kestrel and Winry, who were almost coming to blows. They paused, wrench and knife still raised. "What _is _it with you two!?"

"She's a bitch," they both said. Ed clenched his fists.

"You two... would you at least _try _to get along?"

"No," said Kestrel.

"Why not!?"

"I don't like her."

"Kessy."

"I don't like you either," Winry added.

"Winry!"

"Just because you don't like each other doesn't mean you have to kill each other..." Al pointed out, snuggling Aravis.

"Yes, it does," Kestrel said.

"No killing Winry," Ed ordered her.

"Why not?"

"She's my _friend._" Winry gripped her wrench tighter, glaring at Kestrel.

With an arrogant air, Kestrel returned her knife to her belt and gripped Ed's arm. He glared at her a little, quite fed up with all the arguing.

"No more insulting each other!"

"Fine," Kestrel said smugly.

Winry sighed. "All right..."

"Good!" He noticed Kestrel's arm around his shoulders. When had she moved it? He awkwardly patted it, Winry glaring. "I, uh..." He pulled away nervously, staring at the floor.

Ed sat and hugged his knees, wishing for a hood to pull up. Winry sat next to him, gently putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Go away, Win," he mumbled.

"What's wrong?"

He thought for a moment. "Everything."

Kestrel gave a hint of a bitter smile, leaning against the TARDIS.

"It can't be _that _bad," Winry said.

"You don't get it, Winry!" He turned away from her, staring at the floor.

"How can I, if you never talk about it!?"

"You _couldn't _get it!"

"Try me!" She forced him to face her.

"I'm _broken_!"

"So let me fix you!"

"It doesn't _work _like that!" He stared at her, tangled in all the thoughts and emotions he'd hidden for the last year. "You're better off without me! You're all better off without me!"

"How can you say that!?"

"Because it's _true!_"

He stood up, looking from the anger of Winry to the shock of Al to the sadness of Kestrel.

Winry was outraged. She couldn't comprehend his feelings. She couldn't believe this wasn't a happily-ever-after. She didn't know that scars existed— and that was how Winry should be. Normal. Happy.

And Al had ended up OK somehow. That was good. He was happy, he was fine. Of course he had his scars, but Al was, ultimately, fine.

Ed was broken. He knew it too well— that he'd been so busy protecting Al that Ed himself just... fell apart. He had nothing left to focus on, to protect, to give him purpose...

He could recognize something of himself in Kestrel. Pain. And he didn't ever want to see that pain in Winry's eyes.

"You're an idiot," Kestrel said quietly.

"I know."

"Brother, I—"

"Don't." Ed looked at his brother holding Aravis' hand, and he smiled a little. "You... Be happy, ok?"

"You be should be happy too..."

"He will be." Kestrel's interjection was quiet but forceful.

Winry's anger had faded, and she was staring at the floor, hating herself for not being able to fix Ed. "Yes he will," she quietly agreed.

Overwhelmed, Ed bolted for the hallway. He rammed himself into the wall and slumped to the floor, closing his eyes.

He couldn't be happy. He didn't deserve to be. A hand gripped his wrist. "Go away," he mumbled.

"No," said Kestrel, hand moving to brush his bangs.

He opened his eyes. "I can't be happy."

"Shut up."

And he was wrong— because when she kissed him, he actually was a bit happy.


	22. Chapter 22

_Chapter Twenty-Two_

_The Graveyard, Risembool_

_June 25, 1916_

Two brothers silently stood at their mother's grave.

"I don't _have _to go if—"

"Just go, Al." Ed stared at the stars with a sigh.

"But after what you said..." Al shook his head, examining the ground.

"I want you to be happy."

"I really don't want to lose you, Brother..." Al sniffed and rubbed his eyes with his sleeve.

"You'll be better off." Ed was facing away from his brother, and he pulled out his ponytail as his father's grave caught his eye.

"And what about you?" Al cautiously touched his brother's shoulder. Ed's first reaction was to punch the assailant in the face, but he managed to curb the instinct. What if he ever _did _hit Al?

"I'll be fine," he muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Really?"

"Yeah." Ed forced a smile. "I mean, I've got two violent girls looking after me..."

Al gave a forced smile back. "What is it with you and violent women, Brother?"

"I don't know..." Ed turned. "I'll really miss you, Al..."

"I know." Al pulled his brother into a hug. "I'll miss you too."

"I..." Ed silently held his little brother.

"You're _sure _I should go?"

"Yes. I mean... you love her."

"I know, but..." Al sighed. "Never seeing you again... It seems _wrong_."

"Yeah."

"The Doctor said he'd take us tomorrow..." Al sat down. "So this'll be the last time I'm ever in Risembool..."

"You'll be happy with her, right?" Ed was hesitant.

"She..." Al smiled. "She's so _nice... _And smart... And... I really love her."

"Well, that's sappy."

Al looked up to see Ed half-smiling. "What about _your _girlfriend?"

"What girlfriend!?"

"That's the question..."

"You—" Ed kicked the ground. "You think I know!?"

"Brother, I... I'm sorry..."

"It's OK... I..." Ed stared at his hands. "It's stupid."

"You can have feelings, you know."

"Don't deserve them," Ed muttered.

"Don't say that."

"It's true."

"You're stupid."

"Yeah."

"Ed." Al put his hands on the shoulders of his idiot brother. "Please stop talking like that."

"It's true..."

"No. It's not." Al sighed and decided to change the subject. "So... Guess I'll never marry Winry after all."

"Yeah." Ed kicked the ground again.

"Brother?"

"Yes?"

"I... I'm sorry."

"Al..." Ed sighed. "I screwed your life up—"

"_We _did that."

"No! It was _my _fault... all my fault..."

"Stop that." Al grabbed Ed's arm. "You always keep blaming yourself, Brother... Don't."

"I _can't_!" Ed pulled away. "It _was _my fault! Everything that happened to you, Al... all my fault..."

"No it wasn't!"

"I was supposed to protect you!"

"You did!"

"No I _didn't!_" Ed clenched his fists. "I screwed up, and—"

"No you didn't!"

The brothers spent a moment looking at each other in anger. "I'm sorry, Al..."

"Brother... I won't go." Al looked down. "If you're like this..."

"No! Don't... No. Not for me... please, Al." Ed took a deep breath, then faked a smile. "I'll be fine..."

"Do you really think I'm that dumb?"

Ed stared at his right hand. "Al... please don't sacrifice anything else for me."

"But... Ed..."

"Please." Ed couldn't even bring himself to look at Al, just to stare at the hand and almost see metal and screws.

"I... Fine." Al pulled Ed into a hug. "But... please get better..."

"I..." Ed hugged Al back. "I will. I promise."

"Good."

"I'm really never gonna see you again..."

"Yeah..."

"I'm sorry I got you hurt. Really... I'm so sorry..."

"Brother, it's ok. Really."

There was nothing left to say, really. After a few moments, they turned to go home, leaving the graves of their parents behind.

_Central_

_June 27_

"I want coffee."

"Get it yourself."

"Fine."

Roy Mustang got up, got himself coffee, and drank it with a wince and an expletive.

"Did you burn yourself, sir?" Riza Hawkeye asked.

"Yes."

"Don't."

Roy sighed. "I'll go do my paperwork now."

"Good." There was just a hint of a look between the two, and Roy went to do his paperwork.

Everything seemed back to normal. No temporal stuff, no lunatics with inexplicable boxes.

No Hughes, either. Roy sighed and signed his name again. Riza had said the consequences would be... bad.

Of course, that didn't mean he didn't want his best friend back. He always would. Damn the consequences.

He sighed and continued on paperwork. In a few days, he'd be able to live with himself.

In a few days, Riza would also be able to live with herself. But right then, she was just a murderer masquerading as the quiet secretary. A failure, only saved by children. But her job was to live with it. So she would.

They had each other. That was enough, for now.

_The Rockbells' House_

_June 26_

Al and Aravis got up early.

They said nothing. Al started to make breakfast. Pancakes. Aravis twisted her curls around her finger, staring at the table.

"Are you sure, Alphonse?"

"Yes. I want to stay with you, Aravis..." She smiled, blushing just a bit. Al started to make tea, smiling at her. She was wearing the jewelry he'd given her. That made him a happy sort of nervous.

"Alphonse?"

"Yes?" He nearly dropped the pale blue cups in anxiety.

"I love you." She smiled shily.

"I love you too..." He was smiling like an idiot, just taking in the moment and her face.

"I believe breakfast is burning."

"Oh!" Al quickly flipped the pancakes. "I'm sorry, Aravis..."

"Do not apologize." She stood up and poured the boiling water into the cups.

"Sorry."

"You are nearly as bad as me!" She laughed and took his hands, blushing. He smiled at her.

"Good morning!" the Doctor called, walking in with his hair mussed. "Making an early start are we?" He put the pancakes on plates and started to make himself tea. Aravis awkwardly broke away and sat down with her tea and pancakes. Al sat next to her.

They ate breakfast in silence.

"So... want to say your goodbyes, Al?" the Doctor asked as Al and Aravis went to wash the dishes.

"I already did." Aravis quietly grabbed his hand.

"Shall we go, then?" she asked.

By the time everyone else woke up, the TARDIS was long gone.


	23. Chapter 23

_Chapter Twenty-three_

_Keir, Lytia_

_June 28, 1309_

The TARDIS landed in the desert.

Al had a bag packed with clothes. The Doctor had provided him with a full wardrobe, including a light green cloak. He and Aravis stepped out into the desert, the sun setting against the white pyramids.

"I guess I should do the transmutation now," Al said.

"Good idea," the Doctor agreed. He stepped out, in his customary suit and red shoes. Aravis gripped Al's arm tightly.

"If— if you lose a limb?"

"I've got a good supply of nanogenes," the Doctor assured her, "We'll get it back."

"Good." She nodded nervously. Al hugged her.

"I'll be ok," he promised.

"You had _better _be." Al laughed a little at Aravis' pigheaded determination.

"I will. I promise."

"If you are not, I shall kill you." She smiled at him.

"I know." He smiled back. She nestled closer, closing her eyes.

"I really should do that transmutation..."

"I know." She leaned up and kissed his forehead. "I will be here for you."

The Doctor watched as Al kissed Aravis on the cheek and did the transmutation.

_The Rockbells' House_

_June 26, 1916_

Ed tapped against the table while the storm went on outside.

Thunder crashed. Winry furiously tinkered with something that looked spiderish. Den tried to climb into Ed's lap.

"Where's Kessy?" Ed asked.

"I don't know." Winry picked up a wrench with a menacing air.

"I'll go look for her." Lightning lit the room as Ed stood up, and he walked away with the thunder.

Near the door, there was a note. Three words. Atrocious handwriting.

_I shuld'nt stay._

Ed stuffed the note in his pants pocket and ran outside, not bothering to pull on a coat. She'd be on the way to the train station. He was soaked within a few feet, not even bothering to think.

He wanted her to stay. He didn't know why, but he did. If she left...

He had to find her. He couldn't just let her go. The rain streamed down his face, his bangs plastered to his face.

A tall figure stood within sight. One arm. Kessy.

"You idiot!" He started to slow his run as she turned toward him. She'd better not run. If she did...

He managed to catch up. She didn't run.

_Keir, Lytia_

Aravis grabbed Al the second she saw him again, holding him as tight and close as she could manage.

"Are you all right, Alphonse?" He appeared to have all his limbs. That was good. But then, what—? "Alphonse, what did you— lost?" She quietly cursed her ungrammatical hybrid of two phrasings.

At least there wasn't any blood. She might have fainted, which Aravis found rather embarrassing and undignified. And if she'd fainted, she wouldn't have been there for Alphonse...

"Aravis?" he asked, sounding unsure.

"Yes! I am here, Alphonse... are you all right? Should I get anything?"

"I..." He moved his hand to her face. "I can't hear you, Aravis..."

"You... Philosopher's Stone— but not— Doctor!"

"Plenty of forms of deafness can be cured," he said, "We'll take a look."

Aravis nervously got to her feet and helped Al up. She put her arms around his waist, his uncertainly around her shoulder. "I know you cannot hear me, Alphonse, but I— I have to— talking, I— I'm sorry! Oh, Alphonse... I love you..."

"It's ok, Aravis..." They quietly walked into the TARDIS together.

The Doctor had already gotten out a piece of medical equipment. He gestured to a chair, and Al sat in it. "This is really weird..." Aravis squeezed his hand.

"I know, Alphonse... I should stop talking shouldn't I— I just feel so horrible— Oh, Alphonse..."

"Don't cry..."

"I am not crying..."

"Yes you are." He smiled a little. "You denied it, right?" Aravis nodded with a frantic grin and kissed Al on the forehead.

"Oh dear." The Doctor waved a thing that went _click _over Al's head again.

"You cannot..?" Aravis nervously clung to Al's shoulder.

"No. I'm sorry— I am _so _sorry..."

"I'll always be deaf, won't I?" Al asked. Aravis slowly nodded. He quietly held her.

It finally sunk in how much his life had changed. But she was worth it.

_Risembool_

"I should go." She stared at the ground, trenchcoat from the TARDIS closet unbuttoned, right sleeve flapping in the wind.

"Don't," he said.

"I'm the one who's not worth it." She looked up at him with a fake nervous smile. "Don't worry about me."

"Shut up." He grabbed her forearm. "You're an idiot."

"I'm a lot of things. Useless, for one." She stared at his shoes.

"You did get us out of that basement..."

"Which got you shot."

"Oh, come on. Takes more than that to kill me."

"You'd have figured it out yourself anyway..."

"Recognized Ling Gray."

"Luck."

"What about the train? And the bear?"

"Stop it!" She pulled away. "I _know _I'm worthless..."

"Well, you're wrong." He pulled her into a tight hug.

"You're better off without me," she whispered.

"No."

"I... I'm scared..." She closed her eyes. "Of hurting you... losing you..."

"You won't. I promise."

"It's always happened before..."

"Not this time."

"I need to go." She was crying. "I can't let anything happen to you..."

He paused. "Then stay."

"What?"

"I want you to stay."

"But..." She pulled away to look at him. "Why?"

"You're tough, you're smart... you get it..." After losing Al, the idea of losing her too...

"I..." She stared at the floor. "I love you."

Ed stared at her for a moment. "I know," he said, awkwardly, pulling her into a hug again.

He hadn't quite admitted it to himself yet, but since she'd said it... He did. He'd known it for a while without admitting it. It frightened him a little. But at the same time... well, he loved her.

"I love you too," he whispered.

"Let's go home," she said, smiling.

_Keir, Lytia_

Al turned a page of the sign language dictionary the Doctor had lent them.

Al and Aravis were sitting next to each other, trying to deal with everything.

Aravis looked at the page, then looked at Al. She folded down her middle and ring fingers and held the others up.

_I love you._

Al smiled and did the same. "Things are going to get really complicated once the TARDIS isn't here..." Al tried to cope with the fact that _he couldn't hear himself talk_. It was weird.

Aravis flipped through the dictionary. _Things will be good_. She gave Al a sheepish look.

"I know." He smiled at her. She nestled up against him and took the book.

_We will manage, _she signed.

"Is anyone hungry?" the Doctor asked, poking his head in. Aravis glared, flipped through the book, and relayed the message to Al.

"Actually, I am... Aravis?"

"Yes," she said and signed.

"Hmm... There's a Chinese place in New New New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York..." The Doctor took a breath.

"Where?" Aravis asked, relaying this to Al simply as _Words._

"New New New New... It's a place. On a planet."

"So we are to have lunch... on another planet?" Aravis flipped through the book and sighed. "Doctor, would you give me some paper?"

"Thought I might as well give you two a glimpse of the universe." The Doctor shrugged. "Unless you don't want to..." He handed Aravis a pen and paper.

_Lunch on another planet? _she wrote.

"Sounds like fun," Al said.

The Doctor grinned. The day was saved. Hopefully everyone was going to live happily-ever-after.

"Allons-y!"

**(A/N: Wow. This is actually finished. Cookies for everyone who's been reading. I'm planning a sequel or two, and actually have one started, but for now... The End.)**


End file.
